Yeah, but I call the same taxi place a lot and because I tip, if I get a driver that recognizes me they show up really quickly, i've had them cancel a fare they were on their way to to grab me instead. The way I see it, i've relied on taxi drivers to get me home when i've been in states where i would have been fucked otherwise. I look at them the same as people that handle your food. If i'm getting into someone's car drunk, it's always nice to know the person driving thinks positively of you. I'm also kind of wary of them and try to be polite, i've got a friend who was taken to the railroad tracks and beaten by a group of taxi drivers for being rude.

That would not be an improvement as that directly exposes a perverse incentive.