Well it makes sense to limit the number of NYC cabs -- except for the hour of handoff (~5pm) and in particular neighborhoods at night (Theater District, Greenwich Village, etc.), the number of cabs seems pretty good.
If anyone could drive a cab, the profession might only barely pay a living wage, as each driver would get less passengers, and you'd get a race to the bottom -- and the streets would be more congested too.
To me, the biggest question with taxis is scheduling and demand -- how to get extra cabs to the places/times people need to take cabs from, and the fact that this isn't really compatible with people who want to drive a cab on a predictable block schedule.
If anyone could drive a cab, the profession might only barely pay a living wage, as each driver would get less passengers, and you'd get a race to the bottom -- and the streets would be more congested too.
To me, the biggest question with taxis is scheduling and demand -- how to get extra cabs to the places/times people need to take cabs from, and the fact that this isn't really compatible with people who want to drive a cab on a predictable block schedule.