Ryan, I experienced the same issues as you, but as years go by it seems easier. I'm sure it's just that I'm getting more comfortable with the system. As drivers pull up, I just say "Route cab to ...?" and they either say yes or drive on. In general, the only issue is with non-taxis (white plate cars) trying to sell me rides. But even going out of town, I don't think it has taken us more than 10 minutes to find a route cab going where we're headed. For evening use, I do keep a few numbers of cab drivers on my phone. And I know this is controversial, but I always tip, which amounts to splitting the difference between the route cab rate and the charter rate.