The ride-sharing service announced Friday that it will roll out a fuel surcharge to help its drivers offset the burden of rising gas prices for at least the next two months.
Starting Wednesday, users will pay an additional $0.45 or $0.55 per ride. Plus $0.35 or $0.45 for Uber Eats, depending on your location. Uber said all money from the surcharge will go to drivers.
Uber said the price surcharge will be in place for at least 60 days, and the company will continue to monitor gas prices and consumer and driver sentiment. Uber indicated that the additional cost was not intended to cover the full cost of the gas, but rather to “reduce the burden.”
“This increase helps keep the city’s promise to move app drivers out of poverty wages and on the path to a dignified and safe life,” Bhairavi Desai, executive director of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, said in a statement. “We all know that prices for basic necessities, such as bread and milk, have gone up, and for drivers, operating costs, such as fuel and repairs, have gone up.”
Uber has reaffirmed its commitment to electric cars, saying it’s the best way to avoid skyrocketing gas prices in the long run. The company offers incentives of up to $1 per trip of up to $4,000 annually to electric vehicle drivers and has partnered with Hertz to make up to 50,000 fully electric Teslas vehicles available to eligible drivers for rental by 2023.
“We are taking this moment to step up our efforts to help more drivers switch to electric vehicles,” Winship said.