# Do you listen to music or radio when driving pax?



## reg barclay (Nov 3, 2015)

Do you listen to music, radio or anything else when driving pax or just keep the car quiet?


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## Cableguynoe (Feb 14, 2017)

reg barclay said:


> Do you listen to music, radio or anything else when driving pax or just keep the car quiet?


I usually have music.
Low enough that if we talk or even if they're on the phone, i dont need to lower it. I just keep it playing.


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## JimKE (Oct 28, 2016)

Cableguynoe said:


> I usually have music.
> Low enough that if we talk or even if they're on the phone, i dont need to lower it. I just keep it playing.


I do the same. I have some light jazz playing very much in the background to set a soothing mood.

I pretty much had to do it in order to use the Uber Beacon, which has to be bluetoothed to my phone. That means my nav also has to come through blutooth, so I need the speakers on. Speakers on means...


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## Spotscat (May 8, 2017)

The passengers have two options in my vehicle --
1) They can listen to the Cardinals baseball game. Or,
2) They can listen to The Who playing on the iPod.

I used to let them play their music through the auxiliary input, or let them find something on the iPod.

But, that has changed. Like the Alice Cooper song says, "No more Mr. Nice Guy!".


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## Terri Lee (Jun 23, 2016)

Typically I start out with the Sirius "Spa" station. Or classical. Almost everyone enjoys zoning out with those.

But given an opening and receptive pax, I'm all about DJing in the car. And I'm good at it.

Just one recent example. Had a family that were visiting from Scotland. I put on Samba Thistle (Samba drums and bagpipes) playing "Scotland The Brave". 
They loved it.

I've had pax tell me about getting into cars that had right wing radio on.
Those drivers should be taken out and shot.


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## reg barclay (Nov 3, 2015)

Terri Lee said:


> I've had pax tell me about getting into cars that had right wing radio on.
> Those drivers should be taken out and shot.


If you think that people should be shot for airing political views you don't like then wouldn't that make you right wing?


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## waydavis (Feb 9, 2017)

Pandora, Smooth Jazz


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## Terri Lee (Jun 23, 2016)

reg barclay said:


> If you think that people should be shot for airing political views you don't like then wouldn't that make you right wing?


I knew I'd hear about that. It was a bit strong.
Were you born without a sense of humor reg, or does it come from living in jersey?

There's a difference between "airing political views" and forcing paying customers to listen to them.


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## TheWanderer (Sep 6, 2016)

I have NPR on. They usually do not ask to change it, "hey can you turn off that educational deal and put on some music"
Most people won't ask to change it because they do not want to make it seem like they are a dunce. 
I have had 3 pax request a different radio station, and out of those 3 pax only one person had a legitimate reason to turn it off, it was during the inauguration of trump.
The other two times really caught me off guard. During weekend nights I put music.


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## Trafficat (Dec 19, 2016)

For me, it is often low-volume jazz at night, silence during the day.



Terri Lee said:


> There's a difference between "airing political views" and forcing paying customers to listen to them.


But you'd be okay with it so long as the driver was listening to left wing radio?


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## Coachman (Sep 22, 2015)

reg barclay said:


> If you think that people should be shot for airing political views you don't like then wouldn't that make you right wing?


Not all fascists are right wing. Hitler, Stalin and Pol Pot say hello.


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## Trafficat (Dec 19, 2016)

Coachman said:


> Not all fascists are right wing. Hitler, Stalin and Pol Pot say hello.


I don't find much meaning in the phrase "right wing" versus "left wing".

New Deal policies were popular at the same time as the rise of fascism and communism and for the same reasons. I never did understand why the Nazis hated the Soviets so much. One brand of socialism versus another... National Socialists on one side and Communists on the other. Both hate each other and think of each other as opposites... But they both look a lot like two sides of the same coin to me. Sprinkle a dash of nationalism on your socialism and then you have fascism. Government control of corporations versus government ownership of corporations... small differences. To be rich under facsism is to be an elite favored by the government and to be rich under communism is to be an elite member of the government. Same difference.


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## Coachman (Sep 22, 2015)

Trafficat said:


> I don't find much meaning in the phrase "right wing" versus "left wing".


Each side usually takes the qualities they don't like and assigns them to the other side.


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## swingset (Feb 26, 2017)

waydavis said:


> Pandora, Smooth Jazz


Do your pax ever open the door and dive out onto the pavement? Just curious.


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## Coachman (Sep 22, 2015)

I keep the radio tuned to my local independent station. Lots of laid back classic rock, 80s and 90s, folk, indie, etc. No commercials. Latin night Sunday and World Cafe at 10pm weeknights. Passengers love it.


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## JimKE (Oct 28, 2016)

waydavis said:


> Pandora, Smooth Jazz


Yeah. I usually listen to Pandora Nestor Torres Radio, because I've known him for a long time and like his music.

Nestor is your typical Puerto Rican Buddhist jazz flute player, but other than that he's just nuts. And a good guy. I usually see him at charity events for some great cause or another.

His Pandora station has lots of other smooth jazz artists, many of them with a little Latin influence which local pax like.


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## Mars Troll Number 4 (Oct 30, 2015)

It's up to the customer.

However you need to understand that channel least likely to get a complaint/bad rating is "OFF"

if a customer really wants some music they will ask then you for it than you ask them what they want and do your best to accommodate them.


Also don't park your radio station to uncensored gangster rap and mute it right before your customer get's in the car.

Try to picture picking up the Flanders Family from Disney and when you go to put on Christian radio station you turn it and before you can change it you blast uncensored hiphop and every other word is the "N" word at 80 decibels...


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## Gwoae (Aug 12, 2017)

You all at boring. I have 10 presets. Sports, classic rock, 80s, rap, top 40, and some others. I profile the passenger as they walk to the car and put on the appropriate station at a lower level. If they are talking then I keep it low if they are not then I turn it up a notch. I also ask them for a preferred station. Not a single person has asked me to change it in 150 rides.


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## NGOwner (Nov 15, 2016)

Free Pandora. My own station. Molded by over a year of Thumbs Up and Thumbs down. I'm in the car the entire time and dammit, I want music I like.

Winds up being Top 40 songs from the past four decades with heavy emphasis on mid 70s to mid 00s.

[NG]Owner


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## sirius black (Apr 20, 2017)

Terri Lee said:


> Typically I start out with the Sirius "Spa" station. Or classical. Almost everyone enjoys zoning out with those.


I almost always have "Spa" on when I'm driving pax, and never when I'm by myself (I save Lithium, Classic Rewind, or Ozzy's Boneyard at volume level 11 for that). Passengers always tell me it's relaxing, except for the one time I picked up a couple *at the Spa*. Guy got in and said, "I just listened to this for 4 straight hours, can you put on something else ?" He was laughing about it, and I just put on Hits 1 which I usually switch to if I have a younger crowd in the car (Which is remarkably only about 10% of the time when I drive (late afternoons/early evenings)).

Having said all that, I'm not really listening to music with pax in the car. It's on, but I don't pay any attention to it.


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## Fargle (May 28, 2017)

I usually have late-night talk radio or the all-news station from Seattle 1000khz. On Sundays or whenever I can receive the local low-power station, it's old radio dramas and comedy from the 30s, 40s, and 50s. Local music stations are crap and I can't drive well with most music. All of this I shut off when a pax boards. Once in a while on a long trip, a pax comes across as someone with similar musical tastes and I'll put on Aquabats, Dr Steel, or Devo.


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## XNDABOX (Jul 18, 2017)

I have a tablet in the back that plays Spotify. Pax choose their own music, I just go with it.


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## yojimboguy (Mar 2, 2016)

Nothing at all, unless my pax specifically requests music. Then it's oldies from the 50s -80s off my flash drive. No other choices, no aux cable for THEIR music.

Hasn't hurt my ratings.


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## empresstabitha (Aug 25, 2016)

reg barclay said:


> Do you listen to music, radio or anything else when driving pax or just keep the car quiet?


Christina Aguilera and Cher all the way at the moment. Got sick of tge radio


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## Rebuconductor (Mar 3, 2017)

reg barclay said:


> If you think that people should be shot for airing political views you don't like then wouldn't that make you right wing?


I rock out for the most part. Volume up or down depending on the rider. I get a ton of feedback that people love my music. The best is having pax singing in my car. Once I had 4 pax and all 5 of us were singing along to sublime. Best Uber ride ever. I like hearing that. If there is a big concert in town I'll pick music that's in line with the show. Usually it's my Spotify mix of mostly Grateful Dead, Chili Peppers, White Stripes and a bunch of cool tunes. A guy handed me a $20 once because I had Led Zeppelin playing.


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## Uber Crack (Jul 19, 2017)

I have Pandora and I play different stuff acc to my passengers.
Party crowd: today's hits
Elderly: easy listening
Middle aged / airport crowd: 80s or Abba Playlist
Some Pax who I can't read, I offer them R&B or classic rock or something mellow?
Deep in convo: I turn the music down so we can get intense. 
On my way home when there's no Pax and I'm trying to stay awake I listen to stand up comedy or sing along to my thumbs up Playlist in an Indian accent to amuse myself.


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## Solidwolf34 (Aug 16, 2017)

Backstreet Boys in the house during all my rides.


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## reg barclay (Nov 3, 2015)

Until now I've always had nothing at all playing when pax were in the car. On any given day I can take pax from all age groups, ethnicities, classes and political persuasions, so I always figured that any music or station would have a significant chance of being disliked. I'm wondering now though if having something playing might make it less awkward when we have silent pax in the car.


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## Uber Crack (Jul 19, 2017)

I really think music helps to make it less awkward.  I drive nights so it's most often today's hits. But if I only had two choices I'd do some easy listening for the older crowd. If it's on in the background it can't be too annoying I don't think. When I've driven many hours and I'm tired of everything I put music on that's my taste and turn it way down while Pax is in the car and up again when I'm alone.


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## It'sMo (Aug 29, 2017)

Oldies (70s-80s) for younger pax and jazz or classical for older ones. Usually listen to talk radio on am stations when alone, then hit the fm button before pax comes.


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## Tars Tarkas (Dec 30, 2016)

Usually silent. I've no idea what anyone wants to hear, don't care to find out, and don't want to fiddle around in response to their answer.

At times, I play CDs of mixes I've made of fairly innocuous rock, stuff I like but not crazy. The ready option is"classic rock" radio station.


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## Alison Chains (Aug 18, 2017)

Alone: Personal compilation on memory stick
Pax: Amazon channel for Florence + The Machine or Amy MacDonald
Drunk white girls on the way to a bar: Whatever makes them talk less
No time to set up anything: Local classic rock station


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## Terri Lee (Jun 23, 2016)

My funniest music experience was with a couple that were REAL excited that I was playing classical music. The female, younger, was sitting up front. Her older companion in the back.
They asked if it could be louder.
I told her, "There's the volume control."

You know what it's like when you get near a car blasting rap?

We were that, with Brahms. In the middle of a large city.


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## ShinyAndChrome (Aug 18, 2017)

Yeah trance music or news. At first I would ask if they want to change the music or temperature but now I don't care. Sometimes I will ask if they want to change temp but otherwise they get what they get. It isn't like offering that gave me more tips so screw it.



reg barclay said:


> If you think that people should be shot for airing political views you don't like then wouldn't that make you right wing?


actually it would make him a fascist from which the left seems to swell the ranks these days.


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## kdyrpr (Apr 23, 2016)

Whatever I want to listen to low volume. However, when I get a younger person I put on HITS 1 on Sirius XM which I also like.


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## Singing in the Rain (Apr 5, 2017)

I keep a karaoke list of about a half-dozen songs in my car. I then let the pax make the selection and I belt it out.


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## Notch Johnson (Dec 17, 2016)

I mostly drive days and have smooth jazz at low volume. I do profile the pax as they approach the car and if I think they won't like it then I turn it off.


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## Worklife (Aug 7, 2017)

Most guys here as I can see do the same thing as me. I play some classical, jazz, or even the hip hop station...key is to keep the volume at a low enough volume where you can listen and the pax can hear themselves think of they decide they want to be in their thoughts.


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## El Janitor (Feb 22, 2016)

When I really cared I played it safe, Would let them choose, or keep it off until they said something. Now I play whatever I like, and I sometimes will play what passengers ask.


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## reg barclay (Nov 3, 2015)

ShinyAndChrome said:


> Yeah trance music or news.


Trance is my favorite type of music, what kind of trance do you like? My favorite is probably uplifting but I listen to many types from older 90's stuff to modern day including more progressive as well as serious trance.


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## Uber_Yota_916 (May 1, 2017)

Usually have it turned to am sports radio. Sometimes I listen to NPR but recently there have been a lot of hot button issues and that can make the ride akward. Then again, starting a discussion on race, religion or politics can make the ride more entertaining.


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## LAbDog65 (Nov 29, 2016)

I ask the pax if they have a certain radio or Sirius station they would like. Usually they say no. Of course I drive a lot at night in a college area and most are too drunk or high to care.


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## Tomahawk21 (Apr 3, 2017)

Spotscat said:


> The passengers have two options in my vehicle --
> 1) They can listen to the Cardinals baseball game. Or,
> 2) They can listen to The Who playing on the iPod.
> 
> ...


For me it's Red Sox Baseball ⚾ or 80's/Christian music


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## rickasmith98 (Sep 26, 2016)

No one has ever given me a badge for great music however many PAX have asked me to turn it up or said "great music". What I do, because the passengers are all so varied and diverse, is a continuous loop of Ryan Seacrest Top 30. Yes, I am sick of him too...He's so over exposed but the program has a great variety of hits so if you're in the car for more than a few minutes you're going to hear something you like.....unless it's country or classical. 

Had some fools who are going a few blocks want me to sync up to their bluetooth! WTF!


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## Nailsanddriving (Jan 24, 2017)

If I'm working in a wealthy area and dealing with older pax I will play Nina Simone, Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, Django Reinhardt...had a pax last weekend ask what station it was...I told him it was my ipod, lol. This seems to bring compliments and some tips. When picking up younger pax I will usually play EDM or something more suited. Occasionally I will tell them I have satellite radio and ask if they have a favorite station. This works well on longer trips and I don't mind the variety. I get bored so its sometimes fun to tailor the music to the pax name while waiting and see if I'm right. 

Had I group of guys jokingly request Steely Dan and as luck would have it I flipped to a station that was playing Steely Dan...

When alone in the car I usually listen to news or podcasts.


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## ShinyAndChrome (Aug 18, 2017)

reg barclay said:


> Trance is my favorite type of music, what kind of trance do you like? My favorite is probably uplifting but I listen to many types from older 90's stuff to modern day including more progressive as well as serious trance.


Progressive trance for sure with an uplifting melody.

Ok YouTube check out
sundriver summer love
Jaytech pyramid (dinka remix)

Listened to each of those many dozens of times.

If you want 30 min of spectacular mellow, check out alina baraz urban flora. The most popular track in that set is "pretty thoughts". I basically leave xm radio channel 53 on all the time.

Last recommendation is YouTube "goldroom movie". It is four tracks by goldroom against a music video. All tracks are amazing. I've been collecting tracks for about a decade. I was well into my twenties before I had heard anything of trance and it quickly took top spot. Basically i heard Paul oakenfold's tranceport and it changed my life. Not kidding.


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## PVP (Aug 23, 2016)

I have no music, unless one is requested by pax.


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## Fargle (May 28, 2017)

A couple night ago I heard an Uber/Lyft driver go by with nothing but Google voice navigation blasting out of the car and vibrating everything.


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## UberTeach (Aug 7, 2017)

Live Bruce Springsteen. About 40 different shows on my phone. If the pax don't like it, too bad. (I don't have it loud, and I turn it *way* down if the pax is chatty, which I enjoy.)


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## GT500KR (Jan 30, 2017)

Nicky Sixx Sixth Sense.


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## Strange Fruit (Aug 10, 2016)

Trafficat said:


> I don't find much meaning in the phrase "right wing" versus "left wing".
> 
> New Deal policies were popular at the same time as the rise of fascism and communism and for the same reasons. I never did understand why the Nazis hated the Soviets so much. One brand of socialism versus another... National Socialists on one side and Communists on the other. Both hate each other and think of each other as opposites... But they both look a lot like two sides of the same coin to me. Sprinkle a dash of nationalism on your socialism and then you have fascism. Government control of corporations versus government ownership of corporations... small differences. To be rich under facsism is to be an elite favored by the government and to be rich under communism is to be an elite member of the government. Same difference.


Or any other ism the lizards pretend they're adhering to.


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## mindthelines (Jan 2, 2017)

reg barclay said:


> Do you listen to music, radio or anything else when driving pax or just keep the car quiet?


Yep, whatever I want.

Sometimes its been mildy embrassing/amusing.


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

reg barclay said:


> Do you listen to music, radio or anything else when driving pax or just keep the car quiet?


XM 70's on 7
Youngsters Love it.


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## Michael1230nj (Jun 23, 2017)

NPR. No one has asked me to change it.


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## Karen Stein (Nov 5, 2016)

Generally not. During the typical 15- minute ride, I'm listening to my GPS, interacting with my customer, and playing dodge-ball on wheels; I'm too busy to enjoy tunes.


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## Newtimer (Jul 24, 2017)

Liquid metal


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## VegasR (Oct 18, 2016)

We have a classical station and a college station that pays mostly jazz in the day and edm/indy rock/hip-hop at night. 

Classical is default, but I switch it up based on profiles. 

I forgot to switch once for this black guy who didn't look like he'd like classical and he wound up telling me how he had visited Mozart's house. 

The only music I can't stand is top 40. Can't do it. Won't do it.


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## goneubering (Aug 17, 2017)

reg barclay said:


> Do you listen to music, radio or anything else when driving pax or just keep the car quiet?


Usually I have sports for guys and news for the ladies but I do ask if they prefer music.

I mostly get requests for classic rock but have also had requests for hiphop and country.


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## 1rightwinger (Jul 13, 2015)

.....whenever possible, put on side one of Led Zeppelin IV.


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## AuntyUber (Jul 27, 2017)

reg barclay said:


> If you think that people should be shot for airing political views you don't like then wouldn't that make you right wing?


Oh snap on that!

I had Dennis Prager on and the pax complained. What a putz


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## DrivingForYou (Aug 6, 2017)

A multi disk changer that plays MP3 disks is built into the car, and I burned disks totaling about 25 hours of music, mainly light jazz, lounge, chill, enya, etc. Most of the time with this playing pax are very happy, at least stating "what you're playing is fine" when asked their preference.

I'm currently also set with XM radio, and have a channel list in the backseat. Probably going to cancel subscription though as not too many pax care or want to select something. Maybe 1% of pax care enough to select an XM channel.

I provide an aux cable and phone chargers. Pax DO want to use aux, especially at night when going out.


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## Karen Stein (Nov 5, 2016)

I note a contradiction voiced in this thread.

Please explain why it is appropriate to inflict the leftist pap of NPR on passengers, yet inappropriate to share the highest rated talk shows (Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, etc.).

Inquiring minds want to know.


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## Alison Chains (Aug 18, 2017)

Karen Stein said:


> I note a contradiction voiced in this thread.
> 
> Please explain why it is appropriate to inflict the leftist pap of NPR on passengers, yet inappropriate to share the highest rated talk shows (Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, etc.).
> 
> Inquiring minds want to know.


Inquiring minds don't listen to Hannity.


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## Shaunizzle42 (Jul 27, 2017)

Waa Waa Wild Thoughts. Rihanna all day, every day. No, but I do play a lot of Rihanna, every radio station I turn to, there's Rihanna.


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## JimKE (Oct 28, 2016)

Alison Chains said:


> Drunk white girls on the way to a bar: Whatever makes them talk less


LOL. *Nothing* makes drunk white girls talk LESS!



Fargle said:


> A couple night ago I heard an Uber/Lyft driver go by with nothing but Google voice navigation blasting out of the car and vibrating everything.


That is actually worth doing.

I can see it now, cruising South Beach at 2 mph with Ms. Google screaming, _"...in 600 FEET...do a BACKFLIP!"_


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## #1husler (Aug 22, 2017)

Either my Sade mix CD or the Minnesota Twins (if the game is on) WIN TWINS!!!


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## DMac (Mar 14, 2017)

I often listen to Radio Paradise, a streaming station with an eclectic mix. There is an app for Android or Apple. Several riders have complimented me on the music.


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## Alison Chains (Aug 18, 2017)

Terri Lee said:


> We were that, with Brahms. In the middle of a large city.


You haven't lived until you've been pulled over for going allegro vivace because you were zoned out on Mendelssohn.


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## sthriftybroke (Aug 23, 2017)

I listen to the top hits if it's the radio (we have like 4 good stations for that) and if I'm playing pandora it's either rap or early 2000 hits. I sing too. 
I let a guy make a pit stop at a liquor store in exchange for getting me a mt dew I would pay for. He told me he would buy it since my music was awesome. Brought me out the biggest single serve mt dew I've seen in my life.


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## supernaut_32273 (Apr 9, 2017)

sometimes I'll play old new wave of british metal music. The college kids dig Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. 95% of the time, the radio isn't on though.


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## Karen Stein (Nov 5, 2016)

You never know what customers like.

Once I even foun myself playing ISRAELI music to a caseload of Saudis. Guess they were enjoying " forbidden" pleasures. (Maybe that's why they were also disappointed when I explained there was no ham in hamburgers  ).


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## Oscar Levant (Aug 15, 2014)

reg barclay said:


> Do you listen to music, radio or anything else when driving pax or just keep the car quiet?


The Girl From Ipanema


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

Karen Stein said:


> You never know what customers like.
> 
> Once I even foun myself playing ISRAELI music to a caseload of Saudis. Guess they were enjoying " forbidden" pleasures. (Maybe that's why they were also disappointed when I explained there was no ham in hamburgers  ).


There IS a difference between " Ground Meat" and " Ground Beef".


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## Scott Thatcher (Jul 8, 2017)

I always have NPR on, but when a pax enters the vehicle, I always tell them that they can put on any radio station they like.


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## MHR (Jul 23, 2017)

SiriusXM. Love it.

At my fingertips are the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and Pop2k channels. Quickly profile them while loading and determine which one they get. Hasn't failed me yet and had a smart pax asked me if that's how I picked their music choice. He thought it was a sound way to do it as well. Lol.

My personal favorite right now is the 1st. Wave channel. Been testing that out on some of my younger pax.


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## brick656 (Jun 18, 2017)

My pax seem to enjoy Ozzy's Boneyard.


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## SuzeCB (Oct 30, 2016)

MHR said:


> SiriusXM. Love it.
> 
> At my fingertips are the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and Pop2k channels. Quickly profile them while loading and determine which one they get. Hasn't failed me yet and had a smart pax asked me if that's how I picked their music choice. He thought it was a sound way to do it as well. Lol.
> 
> My personal favorite right now is the 1st. Wave channel. Been testing that out on some of my younger pax.


And if they get in smelling like weed, do you switch it over to the Joint?


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## Pete Feliciano (Aug 26, 2017)

XM SIRIUS radio channel 2 pop


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## MHR (Jul 23, 2017)

SuzeCB said:


> And if they get in smelling like weed, do you switch it over to the Joint?


I listen to that on my own, haven't had cool enough pax who would appreciate that station.


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## KK2929 (Feb 9, 2017)

I am in L.A. and listen to 94.7 Wave or C.D. of smooth jazz. 
Music out of front speakers only and low. I keep it soft, smooth and neutral.
I am also a passenger. Got into a car with a very nice man in his 20's. He had hard rock blasting out of the rear speakers, where I was sitting.
And he wonders why his rating is not higher.
We are being paid for a service. Aggravating our passengers is not a good idea. There are too many things out of our control that pisses them off. I see no reason to deliberately do things that will cause a low rating.


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## WeDreams (Sep 14, 2017)

I play no music so I can hear if they try to pull a gun on me. Sometimes I play the dodgers game if I feel a good vibe.


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