[Semaphor]

Wait, is that how shitty cabs are in the US?

In Germany, we have two types: Funkmietwagen (kinda "callable cabs") which can't pick up someone without being called and proper taxis which both get dispatched but can also wait at taxi ranks to pick people up (or pick someone up on their way somewhere when empty).

Neither of those would abandon someone they've been dispatched to and dispatcher estimations are usually pretty accurate.