[evanelias]

> But if I call a cab, I'd like to have them show up within, say, 15 minutes. The reality is that the explicit promise given by dispatchers is usually an hour, > and after an hour, the taxi often doesn't show up

Out of curiosity, who are you calling that has these long response times? This reads strangely since you're saying cab/taxi, yet there's no way to call for an NYC yellow cab on the phone... only car services, which are independent companies.

In my experience, nearby Brooklyn car services send cars in 5 to 10 minutes in neighborhoods closer to Manhattan, or maybe around 15 minutes in more far-flung neighborhoods where the car services have smaller fleets. You just have to figure out which car services are physically located in the neighborhood you're in. e.g. call Arecibo from Park Slope where they're based, but don't call them from Coney Island because it's unlikely any of their drivers are there at the moment.