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> Just like the movie industry it hasn't occurred to taxi companies to build their own app

It wasn't actually built internally to the industry, but the taxi industry does have its own ride-ordering, etc., app: Flywheel.

So, there might be some narrow sense in which what you say is true, but in the sense that actually matters, its false.

I don't really know much about how Uber works, but is there something in place to stop taxi drivers from using it while driving their cab?

Eh, in NYC, yellow cabs were prohibited from picking up fares that way.

Really? Why is that? I would think with recent uptick of Uber that they could change that to make it a competitive playing field.

In theory, I think it's supposed to keep the taxis from driving by. First come, first served. And/or to reduce competition with the blue and green cabs (providing them with an incentive to exist). NYC is something of a regulatory disaster.

You can, for $2, use Uber to hail a green cab outside of Manhattan.