Taxi driver wearing noise cancelling headphones while driving in the city

[u/BiteInfamous]

Look I’m PMSing so I’m admittedly in a very nit picky time of my life. But. Don’t love weaving in and out of traffic in a major city while the taxi driver has noice cancelling headphones on. The sound is loud enough I can hear whatever (moderately funny) comedy show he’s listening to in the backseat. This is ill advised, yes?

ETA thanks to everyone who taught me about transparent mode today :)

ETA2 : Okay, I’m the asshole, comments have shown me there’s lots that could be going on with the driver to make him need to use these and there’s way he could do so safely. Mea culpa. That’ll teach me to knee jerk react.

[u/fuckYOUswan]

90% of Ubers I am in the driver has earbuds in and is on a call the entire car ride, quietly whispering to the other person. My question is who are these people talking to for hours all day?

[u/bunniisa → u/fuckYOUswan]

my family members are also constantly on the phone 24/7 with assortments of people and it’s really exhausting i don’t know who they are calling

[u/CASSIROLE84 → u/bunniisa]

Same with my mom, we had to set boundaries about her being in the phone at the dinner table or when we are outside with her.

[u/bunniisa → u/CASSIROLE84]

yep or they’re constantly calling me just to pass me around at the dinner table and if i don’t answer im a pos

[u/CASSIROLE84 → u/bunniisa]

Yeah apparently to boomers just saying “I can’t talk right now” is hugely disrespectful but she’s learning and trying to do better now.

[u/needtoredit → u/fuckYOUswan]

Yeah and what are they talking about. Who has that much to say and even more importantly who wants to hear it?

[u/ImplementNo2626 → u/needtoredit]

That’s what I’ve always thought, how do they have so much to say to the same people every single day 😭

[u/oimgoingin → u/ImplementNo2626]

My coworker goes on speaker phone almost every day and talks to his wife in another language. Every day. The rest of the time he’s playing Indian dramas on speaker.

[u/ImplementNo2626 → u/oimgoingin]

Jail bro, that’s got to be so hard to concentrate

[u/Most_Temporary2110 → u/oimgoingin]

Where do you work lol

[u/Beor_The_Old → u/fuckYOUswan]

Their family

[u/Jaded-Art-7875 → u/Beor_The_Old]

In another country

[u/Beor_The_Old → u/Jaded-Art-7875]

Yes usually

[u/bunniisa → u/Jaded-Art-7875]

a lot of people in the us have family members in other countries 😭

[u/slaw_daddy → u/[deleted]]

I'm not sure you know what irony means lol

[u/Beor_The_Old → u/[deleted]]

Well yeah that’s to be expected, not exactly ironic

[u/guysomejust69 → u/[deleted]]

I don't think you know what irony means

[u/Far_King_Penguin → u/fuckYOUswan]

Group calls. Like 10 of them in a discord. My Indian work maye says its a common thing back home and is prevalent in immigrants coz they miss their home and their native language

Seems perfectly reasonable to me but I don't like people using their phone while operating a car so if their eyes stay on the road im usually chill with it. Idk how people drive with an ear bud in though. I feel like I can't see without my ears

[u/XStonedCatX → u/fuckYOUswan]

My mail carrier is on the phone all day, every day, and there's a few others who do the same. I always wonder who TF they're talking to all day.

[u/baconeggncheesy → u/fuckYOUswan]

whispering??? lucky you. mine are usually yelling.

[u/Dank__S0ulsz → u/fuckYOUswan]

Same thing with dsd delivery drivers.

[u/JamesBeaverhausen → u/fuckYOUswan]

Could be other uber driver buddies. Not a terrible idea for safety

[u/Leading_Mission8714 → u/fuckYOUswan]

I always think about this too… but also I think about hearing them on the other end of those calls. I think that would drive me nuts if someone low hummed at me for an entire call.

[u/devilishycleverchap → u/fuckYOUswan]

I sit in the group chat with the homies in discord

[u/electromage → u/fuckYOUswan]

I see people on video calls all the time to, like they're working service jobs but barely acknowledge you, or they'll talk to you for 20 minutes about something while they have a video chat open and the other person is just waiting.

[u/Hije5 → u/fuckYOUswan]

Honestly, I've noticed it is mostly black people doing this. I dont mean this in a bad way because imo it shows a strong sense of community. Just a very common thing imo

[u/Serious-Cup264 → u/Hije5]

I’m half Black and have never had a Black driver who did this. Occasionally I’ve had drivers of other races/ethnicities do this, especially if they don’t speak English as their primary language, but I’ve mainly seen this with women drivers.

I think this is more common if someone doesn’t want to talk to you or is afraid you’re going to try something.

I have noticed more Black drivers with dashcams though, I think because they’re worried someone will start something and accuse them of being the problem.

[u/Hije5 → u/Serious-Cup264]

I just meant in general. I never use rideshares and I a Uber about a month ago and she was on the car phone most of the time, though. I work with and been around a lot of black people, and it's mostly the women that do this. Again, not saying anything negative, just what I've personally experienced. Enough for me to notice it is a thing. I dont even think that is a stereotype people use

[u/TheRealBillyShakes → u/fuckYOUswan]

Side piece. Wives are happy when you’re actually working.

[u/alternative_poem → u/fuckYOUswan]

Oh I know this one because I’m an inmigrant. They’re talking with their loved ones back home. I live in Germany but I’m Latina and my mom lives in the US. I call her almost everyday after work (12-1 am) and we shit chat during my commute home. I can seriously understand just having someone you love to shit chat while you’re stuck Ubering people, specially late at night, must be lonely.