India, May 13 -- By Dr. R. Balasubramaniam

There is something profoundly democratic about hailing a cab through an app. You open it with great optimism, as if you are about to solve a complex equation. The app responds by showing you seventeen drivers, all of them suspiciously close, all moving in directions that have nothing to do with you.

You compare prices across three apps with the seriousness of a stock market analyst. One says seven hundred and forty rupees. Another says seven hundred and ten. However, one more app speaks about being driver-friendly. You appreciate this philosophically. However, you cannot afford it emotionally when your flight is in ninety minutes. You choose the cheapest one, feel briefly virtuous and press con...