Market Monitor,

feedback on the quality of service via a feedback system embedded in the ride app. Car dirty? Complain. Driver reckless? Complain. Driver impolite? Complain. Each poor rating brings the owner/driver closer to ending his contract with the Uber/Grab. Each good rating however, reflects on the driver and vehicle and gives any prospective rider a glimpse into what kind of service to expect, by viewing reviews on the app.

Then there is the aspect of security of the rider. While the traditional taxi service usually had the ID’s of the driver posted prominently inside the vehicle, one would have to possess a near photographic memory to recall who drove, at what time and what route was taken. The new business model is a leap in quality as the name of the driver, the vehicle utilized, the route taken, the time of the ride and the fare charged are all stored in the central server. When things go wrong or when rider security is threatened, these data are of central importance.

Resistance to change is inevitable. The photographic film industry is dead. The traditional broadsheet newspapers and magazines are dying. The great department stores are threatened by Amazon. All these changes in the last 10 years because of better and more relevant technology.

In the meantime, drivers serving the public through transport network vehicle services (TNVS), whom I have had the opportunity to interview during my rides, seem satisfied that the activity is lucrative enough, and gives them complete time flexibility. The riders such as myself, though the fares are a bit higher than the traditional taxi service, are satisfied enough to pay for a higher class of service.