SINGAPORE: I booked a Grab to get to work last week and was surprised to see a Quiet Ride feature had been added to the app to allow commuters to opt for a ride with “minimal conversation”.
This immediately reminded me of Rihanna’s hit song for Disney’s 2012 Wreck-it Ralph soundtrack Shut Up And Drive, because that’s essentially what you’d be telling the driver once you tap that icon.
I thought to myself: “A quiet ride is a brilliant idea. But why have it in the first place?”
Interestingly, the drivers I spoke to told me that the take-up rate for this feature is still very low and honestly, not quite necessary as they have already been trained to read whether the passenger is in a chatty mood.
“You basically stop talking once your fare doesn’t respond. It’s just common courtesy,” an experienced driver shared with me.
However, friends I’ve spoken to think it’s a great idea, especially after a long day at work when they just want to be left alone to decompress on the ride home.
“Having to engage in a conversation is tiring for introverts like me, especially if the conversation becomes banal and boring and I have to feign interest just to be polite,” a friend in accounting told me.