Lyft follows Uber in adding temporary fuel surcharge
Riders will soon have to pay a bit more to offset the cost of soaring gas prices.
%video-id:ada50193-7d45-3ac4-b999-9fe37c2a3ee8
Lyft will soon add a temporary fuel surcharge to rides. The company will give the fees to drivers to offset the cost of gas, which has increased sharply following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The surcharge will be in place for at least 60 days, starting the week of March 20th. Riders (except those in New York City and Nevada) will pay a surcharge of 55 cents per ride. The surcharge will also apply to rides in electric vehicles. Meanwhile, drivers in the US can earn increased cashback of between four and five percent on gas purchases until June 30th if they pay with a Lyft Direct debit card.
"We’ve been closely monitoring rising gas prices and their impact on our driver community," Lyft senior communications manager CJ Macklin told Engadget in a statement. "Driver earnings overall remain elevated compared to last year, but given the rapid rise in gas prices we’ll be asking riders to pay a temporary fuel surcharge, all of which will go to drivers."
The addition of a surcharge follows a similar move by Uber. Starting this Wednesday, customers who take an Uber ride will pay a fuel surcharge of between 45 cents and 55 cents. Uber Eats deliveries will cost between 35 cents and 45 cents more too. Uber says it will reevaluate the fee after 60 days and, as with Lyft, all of the surcharge fees will go to drivers and couriers.
Update 3/16 1:57PM ET: Added details about the fees.
