Finally, a 'silent taxi' service for people who hate making painful small talk
If you dread getting in a cab with a chatty driver, this is the service for you.
A Japanese taxi company, Miyako Taxi, is now trialing a "silent taxi" service where drivers don't talk to you at all, according to RocketNews24.
The taxis look like any other -- except for a notice pasted in the car, informing customers it's a silent one:
The drivers won't say anything, except to greet you, confirm your route, and if an emergency arises.
Ten of these silent taxis now ply the roads of Kyoto, out of Miyako's fleet of 354 taxis.
Through limiting small talk, the company aims to provide a more comfortable ride to passengers, according to Miyako Taxi's statement.
The company recognises that some passengers might not like small talk, and would just want to enjoy their rides in silence, rather than holding people verbally hostage, according to RocketNews24.
But if you still like small talk, you can chat up the taxi drivers, who aren't banned from talking to you.
The company has been running the service for about two weeks now, and may expand the silent fleet to more taxis. Here's hoping.
I am an intern with Mashable Asia, focusing on viral news, lifestyle news and feature news in the region.
