As the price of gas goes up, the price of transporting anything goes up. That’s true even when the thing being transported is you, late for a night out with friends, or your pad thai for a night in. Uber has raised its prices to compensate for surging gas prices.
“While earnings on our platform remain elevated compared to historical trends, the recent spike in gas prices has affected ride share and delivery drivers,” Uber said in a blog post Friday. “To help reduce the burden, we are rolling out a temporary fuel surcharge.”
The surcharge will add 45 to 55 cents to the cost of an Uber trip, varying regionally. Uber Eats orders go up by 35 to 45 cents. The surcharge goes directly to the driver to help offset the added cost of gas. It starts on March 16. Uber says it will reassess the situation in 60 days to decide whether to keep the fee.
It does not apply in New York City, where drivers recently received a 5.3% raise thanks to a law that requires the company to keep pace with drivers’ increasing costs.
And yes, the charges apply even if your Uber is an electric car. The service announced a program last year that pays EV drivers $1 more per trip, up to a total of $4,000.
