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Then along comes Uber and not only does it flout all the rules; Mayor John Tory almost seems to welcome a corporate scofflaw as an opportunity to bust up the system.

The industry was promised a “level playing field.” Instead proposed regulations unveiled last week would allow Uber, but not taxis, to boost prices to meet demand; would impose different licensing fees for taxi and Uber drivers; and would mandate double the safety inspections for taxis as for Uber cars. There would be no need for security cameras and emergency lights for Uber cars, and no more need for winter tires on any.

When left-wing Coun. Janet Davis calls these regulations a “capitulation” to Uber, she is not wrong. Were it not for Uber it is inconceivable we would have seen such a deregulatory proposal: Uber could operate more or less as it does now — though drivers would be properly insured — and, most surprisingly, there would be no mandatory training for any drivers on any platform.

But certainly not the taxi industry, either.

None of these supposedly essential restrictive elements of a ride-for-hire regime held any sway when Uber came along, and that’s not just down to price. Cabbies had to be dragged kicking and screaming to taking plastic, and the industry has never gotten across drivers refusing short rides. Price aside, people preferred Uber.

And when representatives of the taxi industry make their case at City Hall, it is far too often a public relations horror show.