Uber adding surcharge to rides, food deliveries amid surging gas prices

SAN FRANCISCO — Uber Technologies Inc. confirmed Friday that it is implementing a first-of-its kind fuel surcharge to help its U.S. drivers offset rising gas prices.

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The surcharge, expected to take effect Wednesday, will add between 45 cents and 55 cents to all ride-hailing trips and between 35 cents and 45 cents to all Uber Eats deliveries, The Washington Post reported.

The temporary fees, slated to remain in place for at least two months, will be paid directly to drivers, The Wall Street Journal reported.

U.S. gas prices have increased steadily in response to supply concerns fueled by Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, with Saturday’s recorded national average hovering at more than $4.32 a gallon, AAA reported.

Saturday’s price indicates that the average price-per-gallon has increased roughly 40 cents in the past week and nearly $1.50 in the past year, according to the nonprofit.

“We know drivers and couriers are feeling the sting of record-high prices at the pump, so we’re rolling out a temporary fuel surcharge to help,” Liza Winship, Uber’s head of driver operations for the U.S. and Canada, said in a prepared statement.

According to the Post, San Francisco-based Uber clarified that the surcharge is not intended to fill the drivers’ tanks but to help offset the rapid price increases.

The company also clarified that the fuel surcharge will not apply in New York City, where a March 1 increase in minimum earnings for drivers took effect to help offset rising costs, the newspaper reported.

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