Uber launches 'Quiet Mode' for users

International Desk: Not in the mood for a chatty driver? Uber is giving its customers the option to avoid small talk during their ride.

The Uber app will now allow passengers to select a "quiet preferred" option.

It is currently only available to users of its luxury Uber Black services, costing the passenger extra.

There are plenty of anecdotes and memes about talkative drivers, so unsurprisingly the new option has provoked a lively online discussion about etiquette.

Currently passengers can use the app to rate conversational skills, so a driver wishing to increase his score may deliberately try to make small talk.

One driver said he "loved it" when passengers don't want to chat.

But some passengers described bad experiences when trying to ride in silence.

"80% of ride shares I've been in the drivers talk to me even after they see me put head phones on. I had one pull off, stop and turn around and wave his hands to get my attention to ask where I was from," said one Twitter user.

Uber drivers themselves have stories of talkative and even abusive customers.

Mike, an Uber driver in Washington, told the BBC that the "quiet preferred" option helps promote clarity and safety.

"Sometimes nobody wants to talk, and sometimes passengers talk to the driver too, because it's an ice breaker," he said.

"They might only be talking because they are nervous about the driver. At least now there won’t be any awkward silences. It's a documented binding agreement."

Agencies


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