Further to the above (and believe me, I am no apologist for...

Further to the above (and believe me, I am no apologist for taxis, just like to be informed): Clear reasons for Uber being cheaper:

1. registration - commercial rego is often vastly more expensive for taxis: around $6,000 pa (Qld).  Uber cost: family sedan rego of about $700;
2. insurance - comprehensive commercial vehicle cost is $7,000+ pa.  Uber cost: $500 to $1000 for the family sedan;
3. radio fees - taxi owners pay over $1,000 per month to a dispatch company.  Uber cost: $50 - $150 monthly mobile plan;
4. inspections - taxis, like all commercial vehicles, are checked every 6 months by the Department of Transport.  Uber cost: nil;
5. licence cost - taxi drivers have to pay extra over their standard licence to obtain an Industry Licence;
6. taxi drivers, usually have to pay for their training and new elements of training (eg CPR) are ongoing.  Uber cosy: nil;
7. cost of taxi plates - currently over $500,000 in Brisbane. Servicing this cost (by leasing them or borrowing from a financial institution to buy them) is a major cost for owners. Uber cost: nil;
8. replacement vehicle - taxis cannot be on the road 6 years after their date of manufacture. The family car?
9. Taxis are obliged to service sectors of the community not touched by Uber (eg, wheel chair transport, aged-based taxi coupons, etc) which takes additional time over a "healthy" customer.  Uber is only now starting to address disabled access, so will be interesting to see how it goes.

These excuses are, of course, meaningless to those that just want a cheap fare.  The taxi industry/Govt really should address their costs.