According to this Quartz post ‘More Americans are Driving Taxis Thanks to Uber and Lyft‘, the number of drivers for taxis and other hire cars has apparently tripled in the past few years in the US. This is consistent with the increase in cars in city centers (see previous post ‘How Changes from New Technology Will Lead to Unexpected Results‘)
This shows certainly that there was an un-served demand with the traditional taxi system for point-to-point ground transportation. At the same time it does ask questions as to the actual revenue of all those drivers (some are of course now part-time with the likes of Uber and Lyft); and about what they will become if autonomous driving becomes successful, which it will effectively some day.
This example is excellent because it definitely shows how internet can disrupt the traditional economy (taxi plates’ value has dropped off significantly); create abundance where there was an artificial constraint; give opportunities for revenue to more people including additional side revenue, and more generally promote self-entrepreneurship. At the same time it also draws attention to the social consequences that ensue in terms of limited social protection for the drivers. A tripling of numbers make private hire car drivers a substantial percentage of workers and there are long-winded consequences to be expected.
The Fourth Revolution tangibly changes our world, our careers and opportunities. And not marginally!
