Uber offers ‘Quiet Mode’ for riders who don't want to talk to their drivers

For when you just want that glorious silence.
By Sasha Lekach  on 
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Uber offers ‘Quiet Mode’ for riders who don't want to talk to their drivers
Read your paper (or phone) in peace. Credit: uber

"Quiet preferred." That's one way to tell your Uber driver to STFU, politely.

Quiet mode is one of the new preferences available beginning Tuesday evening across the U.S. for premium Uber rides, which means only Uber Black or Uber Black SUV rides. This is the first time the option has been available on the Uber app.

Now when you order a black car (that means professional drivers and luxury vehicles, so no Priuses) you have a list of preferences you can select.

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Riders have been clamoring for a "quiet mode" for when you don't want to chat. So in the app you can now say you have no preference, quiet preferred, or happy to chat as your preferred conversation level. There's also temperature preferences and a request for luggage help.

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Set up a ride the way you like it. Credit: uber

Uber's premium rides are also adding extended pickup times and live phone support.

Lyft floated the idea of a quiet or zen mode in cars last year, and riders are still eager for the option in all rides – not only in pricier options. Lyft said there weren't any updates on a possible zen mode on the platform.

Turns out everyone craves awkward silence in their ride-shares. Sorry, chatty drivers.

Topics Uber

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Sasha Lekach

Sasha is a news writer at Mashable's San Francisco office. She's an SF native who went to UC Davis and later received her master's from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. She's been reporting out of her hometown over the years at Bay City News (news wire), SFGate (the San Francisco Chronicle website), and even made it out of California to write for the Chicago Tribune. She's been described as a bookworm and a gym rat.


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