The battle over the future of the taxi

Uber was the first; there were many that followed: Hailo, GetTaxi, Taxi Magic, Flywheel, Lyft, Sidecar. There's a lot of heat around apps that let users order a taxi, car service, or just get a lift from someone nearby in exchange for cash. The startups are battling each other for territory around the world, even as they face off with local regulators in an effort to modernize this ossified, bureaucratic corner of the transit industry.