>> In the era of hitchhiking, the bandwidth for novelty was low. A driver on a long commute had no podcasts, no Spotify or audiobooks. A stranger with a story was high value.

Haha! In the 90's I picked up a hitchhiker on the Pensylvania turnpike. I thought 'oh, someone to talk to". After a brief conversation he said where to wake him up and slept until we were there...

You should try again sometime. I try to pick up hitchhikers when I get the chance (I rarely drive) and always get to hear some truly interesting stories - I have yet to regret picking someone up.