When it’s pouring with rain in central London, black cabs are near impossible to find. As they sail past with their orange availability lights switched off, prospective passengers get wetter and wetter – the very thing they wanted to avoid by trying to get a taxi rather than walking to the Tube.

Uber – the app connecting passengers with private drivers – offers a much better option on rainy days. You have a look on a live digital map to see where the nearest car to you is and hail it to your door.

The clever app tells you in advance how much the journey is going cost, who your driver is going to be and what car they will be in. Fares are lower than black cabs and the service is much more convenient for passengers.

But not all are happy.

Taxi drivers in France have followed others around the world by launching mass demonstrations against Uber, which they say is threatening their livelihoods by undercutting fares. Scenes I saw on TV last week made the country out to be a combat zone, with large scale road block, Uner cars being smashed up and other bouts of severe violence.

And President Francois Hollande has said he will ban Uber (although some have been quick to point out that he has forgotten he already has technically made them illegal).

There may be some people who sympathise with the plight of the taxi drivers in France, but there are also plenty of people around the world who are big fans of Uber. I’ve lost track of those in London who’ve declared their love of the app – and the convenience it brings – to me in recent weeks.

Critics of Uber really are stuck in the past and have failed to notice the digital revolution sweeping through multiple industries around the world. Consumers today expect to be able to perform a range of tasks with a few swipes of their smartphone.

And if it’s now possible to easily book a holiday, find a date or log on to Internet banking while on the move, why shouldn’t you also be able to book a taxi with ease? Yes, Uber fans enjoy lower fares, but they also love the smooth process on offer – you know exactly when your car is going to turn up and don’t need to fumble around for cash.

Of course, it’s important high standards are maintained in any industry. It’s therefore only right all drivers carrying passengers have criminal record checks (all of those licensed to work in London need to pass these) and I like an idea from Boris Johnson to introduce a mini knowledge test for all minicab drivers.

In an age where sat navs are commonplace, is it really necessary for cabbies to undertake four years of trainings and stringent exams to check they know every nook and cranny of London’s streets?

I can see why some traditional taxi drivers are fighting to preserve their ability to earn a decent living. But in trying to block a digital-savvy upstart they are going about things in the wrong way.

Recent history shows that nowadays online operators in various industries – ranging from Amazon to Lastminute – prevail in the end over businesses that are stuck in the past.

Unless black cab drivers want to become extinct, they could do worse than take a close look at how Uber is winning over consumers and join the revolution.