Regulating cabs: No knowledge needed | The Economist: But what would London look like without TfL’s regulations and licenses? A real world example of an all-but-free taxi market can be found in that renowned hub of capitalist free-marketeering, Tehran. In the Iranian capital, any car is a potential taxi and anybody who wants to pick up a passenger does.
There are 22,000 black cabs in London and another 49,000 vehicles licensed for private hire. Some 30,000 licensed taxis operate in Tehran. But so do an estimated 53,000 unlicensed taxis—though this number is extremely fluid. The result is not A Clockwork Orange-type world of widespread sexual attacks, armed robbery and societal breakdown as foretold by TfL. Instead, getting from place to place in Tehran is remarkably easy, safe and cheap.