Sidecar, which was supposed to rival Uber and Lyft, has quit trying to compete

As of December 31 at 2 p.m. PST, Sidecar will officially discontinue on-demand ride and delivery services. The company’s CEO, Sunil Paul, announced the shutdown in a blog post Tuesday.

 Sidecar’s $35 million in funding paled in comparison to that of Lyft ($1.26 billion) and Uber ($10 billion). So while the latter two firms quickly expanded internationally, Sidecar’s market remained limited to 10 U.S. cities, focusing mainly on the West Coast.

http://www.thedrive.com/article/1485/sidecar-surrenders-to-uber-and-lyft-stops-service

Uber compared to taxi rides, in Toronto... educational... seems taxis are subcontracted, and the company isn't responsible for anything that happens to you in that cab. Huh. Nor, are taxi cabs rated, reviewed, or critiqued by passengers, or searchable online by potential customers to see how they have been reviewed by past customers

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-drive/culture/commentary/taxi-industry-losing-war-to-uber-because-of-customer-service-not-technology/article27656590/

Points out a lot of the reasons taxis aren't going to last... they suck, at everything. Uber drivers though, get reviewed, and those reviews are available before ever getting in a particular vehicle.