Mr. Kim denied that he said he intended to convert to a sedan service in "90 days." Only that he could convert in 90 days if he had to. But has "no intention doing so."
What he was doing was giving an "if" scenario.
"What I'm saying is that the taxi business as we know it will not be in existence in 18 months 'IF' the industry continues to be deregulated as it is."
"I don't believe that the taxi business will ever disappear but it could be that full service, dispatch-centric companies will no longer be in business as they are today."
"My feeling is that in a deregulated environment, it would be a race to the bottom."
Aside from usual sensationalism and inaccuracies that one has come to expect from the local media on the subject of taxis, the coverage of Kim's statements lack context and understanding of what deregulation of faux taxi services like Uber x really means. What Kim and the other cab companies are spending money on is public safety.
Uber and the rest are endangering the public by cutting corners. To use a metaphor from the construction business I grew up in, what they are doing (not carrying proper insurance, not fingerprinting drivers, not guaranteeing the safety of passengers or pedestrians) is the moral equivalent of pouring sand into the foundation of a building in order to save money on concrete.
