The company's new 'quiet mode' has some people speechless.
Uber launched a new"quiet mode" for riders. By Rachel Siegel Rachel Siegel National business reporter Email Bio Follow May 17 at 1:31 PM People have all sorts of feelings about Uber’s new “quiet mode.
” Earlier this week, Uber rolled out options for riders to customize their trips. Need help with luggage? On it. Need extra time to reach your pickup spot? Yep, okay. Want to control the temperature of your car before you even get in? Um, sure. None of the perks, though, drew quite as much chatter as Uber’s new “quiet mode.” Think of it like a self-enforced Amtrak Quiet Car. Or your own personal library. Or a somewhat awkward drive from point A to point B in which you communicate to your driver that you don’t want them talking to you. For its part, Uber said it wouldn’t use the data to pair individual riders with drivers. And the ride-hailing giant said it wouldn’t add an additional cost for the perks, which are available for Uber Black and Uber Black SUV rides. your uber driver wanting to ask you about your day, but you requested “quiet mode” pic.twitter.com/PGfY04pDM8 — herman May 17, 2019 I don't always love making small talk with @Uber drivers, but this quiet mode feature seems...incredibly rude. You're paying for a human service, and drivers don't stop being human just because you're in a mood. — Becca May 17, 2019 Granted, the reaction wasn’t all negative. And some said the quiet option is actually appreciated. For example, some said that being able to tell your driver that you’d rather limit the conversation accommodates riders with anxiety who may prefer not to chat. Others said that the tool is especially useful for deaf riders and those who often get into their rides and have to “lipread the back of someone’s head.” “I’m not always in the mood to pretend to understand and do the fake smile and nod thing,” one person wrote on Twitter. i’m hard of hearing, nearly deaf, and being able to just let someone know with a single tap that no, i do not want to try to read anyone else’s lips today or decipher what you mumbled or be embarrassed bc i misheard, is super helpful. — ines. May 17, 2019 I don't use Uber but their new quiet mode sounds like a godsend for those with anxiety who don't want to have to deal with people who can't pick up on the fact they don't want to be disturbed during their journey. — Antifa Lockhart May 17, 2019 Because I'm deaf, I would use this - it's way too hard to lipread the back of someone's head and I 'm not always in the mood to pretend to understand and do the fake smile and nod thing. — Slayah May 17, 2019 Praise for silent rides also came from many female passengers who are all-too familiar with male drivers steering conversations toward inappropriate comments or “uncomfortable personal/romantic/sexual territory,” as one woman tweeted. The new option isn’t just about talking vs. zoning out, the women said. Instead, it allow riders “to decide if they’d rather be creeped out by conversation or silence,” another woman wrote.You guys have to understand that *most* women, myself included, have experienced either downright inappropriate comments or friendly conversations that veer into uncomfortable personal / romantic / sexual territory. — genevieve جوجو May 17, 2019 Uber is offering 'Quiet Mode' for premium rides like Uber Black, where you can request that the driver not speak to you, thereby allowing women passengers to decide if they'd rather be creeped out by conversation or silence. — Elle Kabong May 15, 2019 everyone ive seen complain about the uber quiet option is a man. they really dont get that uber drivers harass women and ask invasive questions — a 💫 May 17, 2019 Uber has long struggled with what employees describe as a toxic company culture — and one that some allege hasn’t gone away. Female workers have said the company did nothing on allegations of sexual harassment within its ranks. The company’s longtime chief executive was pushed out, and a subsequent report on Uber’s workplace culture suggested the company scale back on alcohol at work events. In May 2018, Uber announced it would no longer bar passengers, drivers or employees from speaking publicly about sexual harassment or assault complaints brought against the company. Most recently, after Uber’s initial public offering, employees raised concerns about work celebrations that made them feel uncomfortable. For any benefits of the “quiet mode,” there were still calls for Uber to take its accessibility options a step further. Staying quiet is one way to make deaf riders or those who are often the target of inappropriate advances feel more comfortable. But that doesn’t mean that with the click of a button, all rides everywhere are equally accommodating for everyone.“We need more accessibility options, like assistive communication for deaf riders and those with speech dis—“@Uber: got it, you can now tell your driver to shut up “N-no! We want location announcements for blind riders, and—“@Uber: you can choose to hail only Priuses now https://t.co/ec7k1aQj8q
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