The other annoyance with SF taxis is that there are (well used to be) a half dozen competing taxi companies, all with their own dispatch system. So often you'd

The other annoyance with SF taxis is that there are (well used to be) a half dozen competing taxi companies, all with their own dispatch system. So often you'd call a cab from one company and watch cars from the other companies drive by, and you had to decide whether to abandon the one you called to take the one that's driving down your street. And supposedly you'd get blacklisted if you had too many no-shows.