Uber has announced a new Quiet Mode for its Uber Black service.
The feature is designed for riders who aren't up for a chat during their trip. In other words, it's for those who don't want a chatty driver.
Uber's Quiet Mode
As a premium perk of sorts, Quiet Mode is available only for Uber Black and Uber Black SUV. On the app, users can now set their conversation preference to either "No preference," "Happy to chat," or "Quiet preferred" when booking a ride.
Of course, riders have always had the choice to tell their drivers that they're not in the mood to talk or, say, ask them to turn down the volume of the radio. Problem is, things can get awkward real quick that way.
Some polite or nonconfrontational way to ask the driver to be quiet has been a much-requested feature, as evidenced by multiple tweets.
Not to be dramatic but quiet Uber drivers and quiet Uber pools are the backbones of this society!!! I don’t want to T A L K — carlos (@pokemonnursejoy) May 10, 2019
My Uber driver has a jillion 5-star ratings and I'm pretty sure it's because he stays quiet as heck. God bless him. He gets it. Nobody wants to talk at 5:40am. I will ignore the fact that he has earbuds in both ears. — Jared Barbosa (@notthebeary) May 7, 2019
With Quiet Mode, it seems that Uber has listened to its users, even though its availability is limited to Uber Black and Uber Black SUV trips.
Beyond Quiet Mode
Quiet Mode is just a part of a slew of new preference options that Uber is rolling out. Riders can set their preferred temperature and request for help with luggage in advance. They can also ask for an extended pickup period of up to 15 minutes if they need more time to prepare.
On top of that, the company is offering premium customer support that's available 24/7 via the app. It's also making sure that its users will get professional drivers with commercial licenses and a consistent quality of vehicles, which will have more or less the same models, makes, interiors, and exteriors.
The new features and the new Quiet Mode are expected to launch on May 15 in the United States.
