Originally Posted by
cooker
Not so much cab drivers - they don't always know where their fares are going especially when flagged down, so they can't plan too efficiently and they typically don't take more than one person at a time. For booked rides, they do get some efficiency out of the fact that the dispatcher offers the pickup to the closest driver, and they may ask where the fare is headed and assign the ride to a driver who is willing to head that way.
Comparing taxi drivers to delivery drivers--most of the delivery drivers take out one or at most two orders at a time, then come back to the restaurant for more.
If anything, delivery drivers are less efficient than taxis-- taxi drivers at least have a dispatcher who's trying to plan pickups logically, and they don't have to return to a central location frequently.
Also, a taxi when flagged down, is obviously picking up the fare closest to its current location.