You get the thrill of drivers who are uninsured and poorly paid (once you factor in the capital costs of the vehicle and the cost of vehicle maintenance). Welcome to the libertarian paradise.
Uber users like myself vote on each ride with their credit cards to keep these services going. And with that, it means that the day Uber does something poorly, we have the freedom to immediately switch to a competitor.
In Germany? Not saying that it doesn't happen, but it is illegal. (Which often is an important argument to why Taxis are protected against competition, since they are forced to provide services that are not always profitable)
Uber just launched in Romania and it's having a hard time getting off the ground. I asked a taxi driver why he wouldn't join. He said he'd be scared for his safety from other taxi drivers.
Anecdotally, getting a cab from a major hub (airport, train or bus station) in Bucharest, without calling dispatch, entails a fixed price and the meter turned off. Illegal? Surely.
The main advantage of western countries, culminating in the U.S., is that laws are enforced regularly and predictably, most of the time.
Germany is doing just that. They're old laws, sure, but they must be enforced until they get a change to revise them.
As a driving enthusiast, driving in German was a pleasure (minus the traffic). Being able to cruise at 140 mph on unrestricted sections en route to Darmstadt, and feel safe doing so, was wonderful. Then again, obtaining a driver's license in Germany is substantially more difficult, costly, and time-consuming. Vehicle maintenance requirements are likewise more stringent (e.g. mandatory winter tires). Given the different driving environment, this ruling is not surprising in light of Uber's lackadaisical approach (I say that as a fan of Uber's service in the US, not their behavior).
Whereas in much of the US, you can cruise around a parking lot with an instructor, and walk away with a drivers license. It's like the wild west by comparison. Uber is faster, safer, and cheaper than the abysmal service in most US cities; but this isn't universally true. The situation in Western Europe is mostly superior to what you'd find in the US; ditto for Japan and South Korea.
EDIT: Clarity.
But can you really use the ANY word?
That's a tall order.
And they're not uninsured, they're self insured, which is, again, shown in that article you linked.
I don't happen to know how much Uber drivers get paid, but I've seen comments saying that a lot of people drive Uber as a part-time thing with a car they already own to supplement their income. I think that's a more likely scenario than someone going out and buying a car specifically to drive for Uber full-time.
Also reminds me of arguments about raising minimum wage because every job in existence should pay a living wage, ignoring circumstances of why people are working various jobs (thinking particularly about teenagers and retired people).
[0] http://nypost.com/2014/02/09/cabbies-who-kill-or-maim-in-nyc...
[1] http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/07/14/nyc-cab-driver-on-loose...