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Regardless of anything else, there are no circumstances under which companies like Uber would decrease traffic. This is because of two effects: Firstly, any regular car ride replaced with an Uber ride will result in more road-hours, since there is now a car travelling to your pickup point as well travelling on the road after dropping you off.
Secondly, the convenience of Uber can cause more travellers taking a car instead of public transport, again increasing the total number of road-hours.
Is there even a hypothetical scenario under which any of these private hire companies would reduce traffic? The only theoretical benefit is that less parking spaces are needed.
Just because there are other things that are worse, or at least as bad, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t call put bad behaviour when it happens. And written MS it keeps happening.