A cognitive commuter assistant may provide alerts regarding sensitive conversation topics and smart excuse route suggestions. The cognitive commuter assistant may store user preferences and historical data related to past conversations between passengers and navigators. The cognitive commuter assistant may identify current location and destinations, and may further identify local information, such as news and cultural information, based on the current location and destination. The cognitive commuter assistant may monitor and analyze the conversation between a passenger and navigator to determine a first route to the destination. The cognitive commuter assistant may generate, based on user preferences, local information, the first route, and historical data, alternative route suggestions.