Tell the driver you are genuinely not in a hurry
Taxi and delivery drivers assume every passenger wants speed. Saying otherwise removes a pressure they carry all day.
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The BeingKind editorsPublished How this is written
Why it lands
Drivers spend their shift managing an unspoken expectation of urgency, which pushes decisions about lanes, gaps and amber lights. Most passengers are not actually in a rush and have simply never said so. Saying it out loud is one of the few things a passenger can do that directly reduces risk for both of you, and it gives permission to drive the way they would rather drive anyway.
How
Say it at the start, when it can still change something: “No rush at all, take whatever route is easiest.” Then do not check your watch or sigh at traffic, because the words only work if the rest of your behavior matches them.
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