The Ukraine-Russia war has proved to have a huge effect on the entire world, including the price of gas. Now, we are experiencing record-high gas prices that primarily affect those who drive for a living – like Uber drivers. Fortunately, the company has a solution for them: a temporary fuel surcharge starting on Wednesday, March 16.
“Rideshare riders will pay a $0.50 surcharge on every ride and, on Uber Eats where trips are shorter, consumer fees will be adjusted to cover the equivalent of a $0.35 surcharge on every delivery,” explained Liza Winship, Head of Driver Operations US & Canada, in an Uber Blog post. “A hundred percent of that money will go directly to drivers and delivery people. No service fees will apply to these amounts.”
Winship mentioned that the surcharge amounts for rideshare trips will be listed as Temporary Fuel Surcharge on the earning statements. Meanwhile, the delivery people handling trips with Uber Eats will see the surcharge amounts listed as Temporary UberEats Fuel Surcharge on the earnings statements. Additionally, Uber promised to apply the surcharge to drivers and couriers who are already driving EVs or hybrids.
Moreover, as the gas price is expected to keep on rising over the following days, Uber assured that the surcharge is just temporary just to “keep earnings consistent during this difficult moment.”
“Over the coming weeks, we plan to listen to your feedback and will continue to review gas prices to determine if we need to make additional changes,” Uber said in the same post.
On the other hand, the transportation network company also encouraged Uber drivers to shift to the use of electric vehicles (EV) to deal with the continuous gas price increase in the long run. According to Uber, opting for EVs can help drivers enjoy higher earnings potential, thanks to its Green Future Program that can provide incentives from $1 more per trip up to $4,000 annually.
The idea of pushing drivers to patronize EVs also reflects Uber’s mission to be a zero-emission platform globally by 2040 and in Canadian cities with supportive policies by 2030. To start it, Uber partnered with Plug’n Drive to provide webinars and host test drive opportunities to its drivers. It also started its collaboration with a Shell Group member, Greenlots, to produce three new charging stations in Vancouver. In its statement, the company mentioned that the charging stations will offer discounts and will be exclusive for drivers and delivery people on the Uber platform only.
