Brooklyn car service

The cab situation in Brooklyn is weird because everyone uses these random car services instead of normal cabs. "Oh yeah, just get in one of the random black Lincoln Towncars with tinted windows that drive by and honk at you. That's just the way cabs work here." This goes against everything you've ever learned about whom to take rides from. I wonder if there's a place where the cab situations is even more bizarre. "Yeah, just get in one of those beat up old vans with the creepy drooling guy driving it. He'll pull over and offer you some candy. Oh, and the van will have a sign on the back that says 'You will be raped inside this van.' That's just the way cabs work here."