Protests and legal action against Uber have increased exponentially as the online ride-sharing service - created in 2010 by two Silicon Valley entrepreneurs frustrated by existing taxi services - has expanded around the world. Uber is banned in several countries and faces lawsuits, even prosecution, in others.In France last week existing taxi operators rioted in several cities in an effort to force the government to crack down on it.Following the riots, and the arrests of two Uber executives, the company has suspended its UberPOP ride-hailing service in France.Similar protests took place in London in April, and in just about every city where the app-based service operates it faces threats or legal trouble.Protests by established taxi operators have also occurred in Cape Town, where Uber drivers are struggling to secure provincial vehicle operating permits timeously and have had their vehicles impounded.In Johannesburg yesterday, protests against Uber turned violent as metered-taxi drivers harassed their Uber counterparts . Some passengers were even pulled out of Uber cars and manhandled.Like many of their counterparts overseas, the taxi operators who protested outside Uber's Johannesburg offices on Friday argued that it was stealing their business by undercutting their prices, and treated its drivers shabbily.And yet, the reason Uber has expanded, in just five years, to about 300 cities worldwide and has a valuation of about $50-billion is because millions of passengers find it cheap, quick, efficient and convenient.The world is changing and metered-taxi operators need to change too.Provided that the company is acting lawfully and that its operators have the requisite permits, it is incumbent on the police and local authorities to protect Uber's drivers and its passengers.We South Africans tend to resort to violence far too easily when things don't go our way...