Silent Taxi in Japan：How warm should the service industry be?

senoritazhao

Recently, Japan's Kyoto has started a"silent taxi" service, unless the passenger starts the conversation,otherwise the taxi driver are not allowed to talk to passengers.

For those to takes a taxi ride, it is normalto bump into a "talkative taxi driver". Some people found themselvesnot wanting to talk too much with the taxi driver, no offence to the drivers,but only because of being too tired or busy with work over mobile devices.Sometimes, out of respectation, some "nice" passengers will keep theball rolling, which makes the driver feeling that the passenger has interestsin the topic. Therefore, more talk...

Some people even has the counter-measure oflistening to music, wearing a mask, or faking to fall asleep.

For other people, however, feeling thattalking to the driver is simply relaxing and not too much a deal.

This lead to question to us: we are alwaysstriving for being warm especially for the service industry. But how warmshould we be? is the warmer, the better? or provide a service that fits thecustomer?

smile1233

crazy...if you can't handle conversation with a stranger, you have lost basic social interaction skills...just tell the taxi driver you are too tired to talk....is it the face culture again? ...that's what happens when people can't be honest with one another. this rule is pretty pathetic....because the culture, or this aspect of the culture is pathetic to begin with...

but one thing nice about japan, i didn't have to force myself to be extroverted like i would have to in a western culture, and especially in the USA. it was nice that they were already introverted, so i could naturally respond in kind.

Ratfink

Usually when I'm in a taxi for the first time in a new city I'll want to talk with the taxi driver to find out what's what and so on. Taxi drivers can be a goldmine of information if you are prepared to sift the information, but when back home and coming or going to the airport I just want to ride in peace and quiet so I just sit there quietly and say "sorry but do you mind if we don't chat as I'm deep in thought"  That usually shuts them up.

1105852048

I always talk to taxi drivers because they know the city very well and often have good information.

HailChina!

I dont like talking to any strangers but I try to be polite to people, even taxi drivers. I think that this idea is very classist and bad.