Tesla drivers in Elon Musk's tunnel taxis reportedly aren't allowed to talk about him during rides
- The Boring Company instructs drivers not to talk about Elon Musk as they drive in its tunnels.
- The firm gives drivers a script of what they can and can't say to passengers, TechCrunch reports.
- The company's Las Vegas Convention Center Loop, a system of Teslas in tunnels, opened in June.
The Boring Company - Elon Musk's tunneling venture - opened its first system in June in Las Vegas. But don't expect much small talk as your Tesla's driver ferries you between stations.
And if you want the inside scoop on the company's billionaire founder, forget about it.
According to a Wednesday report from TechCrunch, The Boring Company gives drivers at its Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) Loop scripts dictating exactly what they can - and mostly can't - say about Musk and the firm.
"Your goal is to provide a safe ride for the passengers, not an entertaining ride. Keep conversation to a minimum so you can focus on the road," the company's "Ride Script" says. TechCrunch obtained the script and other documents through a public records request.
The document instructs drivers to avoid questions about Musk at all costs.
"This category of questions is extremely common and extremely sensitive," the script says. "Public fascination with our founder is inevitable and may dominate the conversation. Be as brief as possible, and do your best to shut down such conversation. If passengers continue to force the topic, politely say, 'I'm sorry, but I really can't comment' and change the subject."
If riders persist and ask a question about if they like working for him, drivers are supposed to say: "Yup, he's a great leader. He motivates us to do great work!"
In response to questions about Musk's tweeting, drivers are told to respond: "Elon is a public figure. We're just here to provide an awesome transportation experience!"
The catch-all answer to a question like "Is it true what I've read about him in the papers that he [is a mean boss/smokes pot/doesn't let employees take vacations/etc." is: "I haven't seen that article, but that hasn't been my experience."
Drivers are also told to evade questions about how long they've been working with The Boring Company ("Long enough to know these tunnels pretty well!) and about how many crashes the system has had ("It's a very safe system").
The LVCC Loop runs 1.7 miles and has three stops. The Boring Company plans to expand the Las Vegas system and is in talks to build similar tunnels in Fort Lauderdale and Miami.