The linked article states (my added *):

“The DMV is studying Virginia?s motor carrier laws with an eye toward legislative changes next year that *could allow Lyft and Uber to legally operate in the state*. Secretary of Transportation Aubrey Layne said last week that *he liked the companies? business models, but until the law is changed, they are violating it*.

Despite the fines and the DMV?s entreaties to the ride services to work on the study and legislative changes, Lyft and Uber have continued to provide services in Virginia. ..

In the cease and desist letters, DMV Commissioner Richard Holcomb told representatives for both companies that he is ?once again making clear? that they must *stop operating in Virginia until they get the proper authority*.

Holcomb wrote that he ?strongly? suggested the companies *focus their resources on participating in the state study* ?rather than continue illegal operations in the meantime.?

Which would seem to contradict “almost every attempt to block them seems to really be about keeping such transportation options more limited”.

Of course time will tell, but it seems clear the state is open to the business model but while it is against state law then they clearly can’t condone breaking the law and they must enforce the law as it now stands. What else would you expect them to say? Seems TFA is hyperventilating unnecessarily. How about reconvening when they fail to modify the law?

Eliminating taxi cab monopolies would improve safety and reduce drunk driving

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110426/14571614044/administration-bangs-drum-support-needless-protectionism-world-ip-day.shtml#c224

Not to mention that taxicab monopolies likely harm the environment because taxicab companies have incentive to keep their cars as fuel efficient as possible to save money (and perhaps to have their own in-house repair shops or to contract in bulk where repairs that increase efficiency are done routinely in opposed to paying on a per repair basis, ensuring their tires are properly inflated and that they’re using tires that save fuel, their car is properly oiled, etc…) and to do whatever they can to provide the most transportation using the least amount of fuel (ie: by carpooling and planning their routs to maximize carpooling). It’s much easier and more efficient for a company that specializes in cars to deal with cars than it is to force a much larger population to deal with them many of which are car illiterate.

Not to mention having more taxi-cabs creates efficiencies in that fewer cars can be used to serve more people and fewer cars require less parking space and less parking space is more space that can be used to build buildings and roads and improve congestion (more roads and fewer cars = less congestion).

Another thing that’s bad for the economy are these toll lanes. Hypothetically speaking lets assume we have two uniform lanes and the average speed on each is 30 miles per hour. Now lets say one of those lanes turns into a toll lane and its average speed shoots up to 45 miles per hour. Assuming the same number of vehicles and assuming that miles per hour has a linear relationship with speed the other lane may now be reduced to 15 miles per hour (if you have fewer drivers as a result the reduction in the number of drivers is a loss in utility).

Now the utility gained to those driving in the fast lane is 15 miles per hour (30 Mph original speed if fast lanes don’t exist + 15 miles per hour extra speed). But what they’re willing to pay is an extra 30 MPH of utility (the difference between the toll lane and the regular lanes which are now 15 MPH). So the toll lanes only benefit those that use it that are willing to pay what they are paying at 45 miles per hour had the regular lane been moving 30 miles an hour (and not 15) and it only helps them during the specific times that they are using the toll lanes and are willing to pay what they are paying for those extra 15 miles an hour. It otherwise hurts them and it hurts them during the times that they aren’t using the toll lanes and are using the regular lanes instead. In the meantime everyone else that’s not using the toll lanes is hurt because they are being forced to travel at a slower speed.

tl/dr: if you draw the economic curves toll lanes almost certainly result in a deadweight loss in social utility.