Pre-arranged times. Be there or else.

Payphones.

Time still exists. Payphones not so much.

And: payphones were ubiquitous. Car parks, bus stops, restaurants, bars, other businesses, random street corners, airports, bus depots, train stations. Probably several at a given high school at different locations. So long as you had loose change they were a reliable option. These started to disappear in the late 1990s, though support continued generally through the late aughts, and in certain locales (e.g., NYC) through the late 2010s.

There's some interesting technological anthropology in The Paper Chase, a film set at Harvard Law School in the early 1970s (released 1973), there is a payphone on the dorm floor, and it is the only phone available. That and a number of other elements date the film in ways that other set-dressing (costumes, architecture, cars) don't convey as emphatically.

Pick-ups and drop-offs? You walked yourself home, used your bike, or took the bus. This getting driven around is most ridiculous.

> How did people coordinate these before even email became widespread?

With a lot more difficulty.

We used to use payphones and call collect, then say a quick message when the collect service asked for your name.

"Who is calling?" "Hi mom practice is over come pick me up!"

"I'll be done with marching band practice at 6:30"

"Ok, I'll come get you then"

The issue isn't that it couldn't be done without technology. The problem is when everyone else has moved on to the technology based solution (mobile phones) if you don't you're just out of luck.

We used landlines of course, and it was an utter pain in the behind.

There was no way of letting anyone know that you were running late once they were already underway to pick you up.