Shut Up and Drive

In a recent interview with a Lyft executive, Casey Newton of The Verge got some people very excited about something that doesn’t exist: a “zen mode” for ride-hailing.

This, Newton suggested, would be “some sort of setting in the app where you’re just able to say, ‘You know what, I’m not feeling chatty today.’” The vehicle’s driver would then be struck mute, forbidden from subjecting their passenger to small talk, creepy pickup lines, religious indoctrination efforts, or other aural irritants. It would be a Quiet Car, for someone else’s car.