I don’t take taxis very often; perhaps that should that be never, at least at home. I did take a couple of cabs last summer in Bucharest, but vacations are different. Uber has come to Ottawa, but I can’t say I am all that excited.

Technology now makes it possible for taxi services to be provided by anyone with a vehicle and a GPS device. In the old days taxi drivers needed to know their way around the city. Not so anymore. Uber, if you aren’t familiar with it, is an application that connects prospective passengers with drivers who will provide a ride for less cost than a traditional taxicab.

I hadn’t planned on wading into the debate until I read a newspaper article about Uber drivers being fined for breaking Ottawa’s taxi bylaw. The drivers in question pleaded guilty, though Uber has promised legal assistance to anyone who wants to fight the charge. What got me interested was the statement from the head of the taxi drivers’ union who stated “Any fare they drive, it’s ours.”

One of the drawbacks to a monopoly is that arrogance builds over time – and to me that was a prime example. Customers do not belong to anyone, not even to a monopoly. My business has to be earned. And there may be people who can afford Uber rates for whom conventional taxis are just too expensive.

I am not likely to use Uber’s services. They may be cheaper than conventional taxis, but the trip is still considerably more expensive than taking public transit. I appreciate transit, usually, though there are times when I wish it worked better.

I do understand the cab drivers fears though. A technological change threatens their livelihood. That is perhaps regrettable, but is the way of technology. When I was a child, trains were run by coal fired steam engines. The introduction of diesel technology put thousands out of work, as did the switch from oil lamps to electricity a half century earlier (more or less). You can’t stop progress, no matter how much you might like to.

This post for example was written on a telephone, not a typewriter. I doubt there are many people making typewriters in 2015 – that industry has disappeared. As technological changes disrupt society and at times make entire professions and industries obsolete, the challenge to all of us is to help people transition to the new reality.

Municipal governments may not be able to stop the spread of Uber. The taxi industry as it existed even five years ago may be dead. What does this mean for the drivers who now hold taxi licences? Can they make a living using Uber? Certainly the dispatching companies will be casualties. And those who invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxi licences will have had their investment vanish overnight. Certainly there will be short-term and even long-term pain for some individuals. The question is: does this technological change benefit society as a whole and in the long term?

That I think is a key question to be asked about any new technology. Just because we are able to do something (cloning perhaps?) does not mean that we should automatically do it. Which in turn brings into play the idea of values – what drives us in the judgements we make? Technology itself may be value-neutral, but the way it is applied is not.

The goal of Uber’s creators was probably to make some money. They knew they would shake up the taxi industry. Did they consider the human element? I don’t know. What I do know is that when we don’t take people into account in whatever we do it is inevitable that bad things will happen.