What's the difference between Addison Lee and Uber?

on op-ed, technology, disruption, sharing economy

What's the difference between Addison Lee and Uber?

It's quite simple.

US buyout group Carlyle has abandoned plans to sell Addison Lee after offers for the British cab service fell short of its price expectations. –FT

There's a reason why the latter company has a valuation of $18 billion USD, and the former, have received a disappointing round of offers.

That reason is technology.

One merely replicates (without all the regulation and restrictions that adds costs) the current taxi business in a leaner fashion, while the other is a fully fledged technology company specialising in the taxi industry.

Uber has the potential of replicating their supply-and-demand, provisioning systems (that is currently being used for the taxi industry) and expanding it to other sectors.