WASHINGTON — With gas prices remaining at high levels all across the country, rideshare drivers who spoke to WUSA 9 on Sunday expressed concerns about the cost of being on the road despite relief recently coming from Uber.
On Sunday, AAA reported the national average for a gallon of regular gas at $4.33. The figure is 84 cents higher than where it was just one month ago.
Aaron Coach, who lives in Maryland and drives for Uber, told WUSA9 on Sunday that it was getting tougher and tougher to make a living and stay on the road.
"(Gas prices) make you not want to be out there," he said. "It makes you not want to take longer rides. It makes you more impatient.”
As a result of the increases, Coach said he has been calculating ways to save money and conserve gas on a daily basis.
However, the rising costs of gas have meant fewer dollars for him to take home.
"You’ve got to be more conscientious of what you’re doing and you have to work smarter," Coach said. "You've got to break it down to see if it’s even worth it because in some cases, you might not be making any money with gas being as high as it is.”
Delivery drivers have also felt the stress of paying far more to keep their cars running.
Lamonte Johnson has been a driver for DoorDash since 2020. However, he told WUSA9 on Tuesday that it's becoming even tougher to afford staying on the road.
"Forget repairing your car or getting an oil change, just buying gas is $4.25. That’s insane," he said. "If you don’t have a certain amount of money, it's going to be almost impossible for you to get out there and do that stuff to begin with.”
Johnson said he budgets for gas alongside other living needs. Due to the sharp price hikes, he has to consider where else to save.
"You got to consider eating. You got food, water, utilities. All that stuff still counts with the car," he said. "You just hope you don’t get in a wreck and hope you have insurance.”
Uber recently announced some relief for drivers amid the high cost of being on the road.
In a blog post on Friday, the rideshare company said a temporary fuel surcharge would be added to all rides.
Ride customers will pay either $0.45 or $0.55 for each Uber trip, while Uber Eats customers will pay $0.35 or $0.45 for each trip, depending on their location.
Uber said the entire surcharge will go directly to drivers.
The company added that the surcharge is temporary for the next two months but it will continue to monitor gas prices and may make additional changes.
"The surcharge amount will vary by city, depending on average trip distances and local gas price increases," Uber said in a statement. "Long term, we believe that the key to reducing the impact of gas prices on your earnings is to make the switch to an electric vehicle."
After hearing about the announcement, Coach believed the surcharge wouldn't greatly help the situation for drivers.
"It makes no difference at all," he said. "It's better than nothing but it’s not enough.”
Other Uber drivers who spoke to WUSA9 on Sunday echoed similar thoughts about the fuel surcharge.
Lyft has yet to make a similar change.
After reaching out to the company for a statement, WUSA9 had not heard back from Lyft as of Sunday evening about adding a possible fuel surcharge.