The Rideshare Shortcut

Mark has driven for the rideshare app for almost two years. He trusts its route system more than his own memory of the city. Every morning, the app's "smart route" feature studies traffic. It suggests the fastest way to each pickup. Most days, it works well.

马克给这个网约车应用开车已经快两年了。比起自己对这座城市的记忆，他更信任应用里的路线系统。每天早上，应用的“智能路线”功能都会分析路况，给他推荐去每个接客点的最快路线。大多数时候，它都很管用。

On Tuesday, the app sends him a pickup near the old train station. Then it gives him a route down a narrow street. He has never used this street before. Mark hesitates. The street looks more like an alley than a road. Still, the app promises it will save him six minutes.

周二，应用给他派了一单，接客点在老火车站附近。接着它给出一条穿过窄街的路线。这条街他从没走过。马克犹豫了。这条街看起来更像一条小巷，而不像一条马路。可应用保证能帮他省六分钟。

He follows the direction anyway. The car bumps over broken pavement for almost a block. Then he reaches a dead end with a locked gate. Mark laughs, though he is also a little annoyed. He turns around carefully and takes the long way instead. He arrives four minutes late.

他还是照着指示走了。车在坑坑洼洼的路面上颠簸了将近一个街区。然后他来到一个死胡同，尽头是一扇上了锁的大门。马克笑了，不过心里也有一点恼火。他小心地掉过头，改走了远路。结果他迟到了四分钟。

His passenger, Georgia, is waiting outside with her suitcase. She is checking her phone. "Sorry I'm late," Mark says. "The app sent me down a street that doesn't actually connect to this one."

他的乘客乔治亚拖着行李箱等在外面，正在看手机。“抱歉我来晚了，”马克说，“应用让我走了一条其实跟这条路不通的街。”

"That's happened to me too," Georgia says, getting into the back seat. "I think the map data for that block hasn't been updated in years."

“我也碰到过这种事，”乔治亚一边坐进后座一边说，“我想那一段的地图数据已经好多年没更新了。”

As they drive to the airport, Mark tells her something odd. This is the third time this month the app has suggested that same dead-end street. He decides something important. If it happens again, he will report the route instead of quietly avoiding it. A driver who ignores a problem shouldn't expect it to fix itself.

开往机场的路上，马克对她说起一件怪事。这已经是这个月应用第三次推荐那条死胡同了。他做了一个重要的决定：如果再发生，他要把这条路线上报，而不是默默地绕开。司机要是对问题视而不见，就别指望问题自己消失。

Georgia says she has reported a route error before. She used a small button in the app's help menu. It disappeared from the suggestions within a week. Mark hasn't noticed that button before. She shows him where it is while they wait at a red light.

乔治亚说她以前上报过一次路线错误。她用的是应用帮助菜单里的一个小按钮。一周之内，那条路线就从推荐里消失了。马克以前从没注意过那个按钮。等红灯的时候，她指给他看它在哪里。

When he drops her off at the terminal, he opens the app. He reports the alley as a dead end. He adds a short note about the locked gate. If enough drivers report the same street, the system will learn to avoid it.

把她送到航站楼之后，他打开了应用。他把那条小巷报告为死胡同，还附上一句简短的说明，提到了那扇锁着的大门。如果有足够多的司机上报同一条街，系统就会学会避开它。

Mark drives away from the airport a little slower than usual. He checks the map more carefully than he needs to. It is a small thing, reporting one broken street. Still, he likes knowing one small thing. The next driver won't waste six minutes chasing a shortcut that isn't really there.

马克开车离开机场时，比平时慢了一点。他看地图也比实际需要的更仔细。上报一条有问题的街，只是件小事。可他还是喜欢知道这件小事：下一位司机不会再白白浪费六分钟，去追一条根本不存在的捷径了。