Boston taxi drivers’ union to protest ride sharing service Uber

Services like Uber and Lyft upset cab drivers because they challenge the longtime status quo that has devolved into a cartel that limits innovation and entry to the marketplace, according to Marc Scribner, a transportation scholar at the libertarian Competitive Enterprise Institute.

"If the city decides to restrict competition by unduly burdening the nascent ridesharing industry, as the Boston Taxi Drivers Association appears to be advocating, it will almost certainly earn a challenge from the Federal Trade Commission for engaging in anti-competitive conduct," stated Scribner in an email to MassLive. "Any pandering from city officials deserves nothing but contempt from Bostonians, in addition to potential antitrust investigations, both civil and criminal. We can only hope Boston's leaders will put consumers' interests ahead of powerful cartels and cronyism."