What To Know About Uber & Uber Eats’ New Price Hike — And How Long It’ll Last
It's a brand new surcharge.
If you’ve been to a gas station recently, you know that gas prices are are at an all-time high, and if you’ve taken an Uber since March 16, those prices were probably reflected in the cost of your trip. Uber announced the new fuel surcharge on March 11 that riders will have to pay a gas surcharge on Uber rides and services of all kinds. But is Uber and Uber Eats’ fuel surcharge permanent? Unfortunately, it looks like those prices aren’t going away soon. Here’s what to know about the new fee.
On March 11, the average price of regular gas reached $4.33, an all-time high, per AAA. According CBS News, the price hike is due to supply and demand issues stemming from the pandemic and most recently from Russia’s recent invasion of Ukraine. Naturally, the rising cost of gas has been an added stress on the wallets of Uber drivers everywhere. To help combat that, as of March 16, Uber users will pay a surcharge of either 45 cents or 55 cents per Uber ride and 35 cents or 45 cents per Uber Eats delivery order, depending on their location, according a March 11 Uber press release. The surcharge was put in place to help reduce the financial stress of rising gas prices, and the company says 100% of the surcharge money will go directly to its drivers. In case you were wondering, the surcharge amounts are based off the average trip distance and the increase of gas prices per state.
So, how long will customers have to see the surcharge on their receipt? It’s not a permanent change, but it could last longer than you’d like it to.
According to the March 11 announcement, Uber is implementing the surcharge temporarily “for at least the next 60 days.” So as of March 16, the surcharge is scheduled to end May 15, 2022. However, said in the release that it will “reassess” the surcharge after the 60-day period ends, which means the added expense could stick around even longer.
There is one city that’s been excluded from the surcharge, however. According to Uber, drivers based in New York City received a 5.3% increase to the city’s mandated minimum earnings standard on March 1, in the hopes of covering “increased operating costs.”
Though the surcharge means higher priced rides, it’s a small price to pay to keep Uber drivers’ gas tanks full. Next time you plan a trip with the ride share company, remember to follow Uber’s safety rules.
