Lyft to join Uber in adding temporary fuel surcharge to fares

Lyft will join Uber in adding a temporary fuel surcharge to its fares as gas prices have skyrocketed over the last week, hurting the pockets of ride-share workers and others who drive for a living.

“We’ve been closely monitoring rising gas prices and their impact on our driver community,” Lyft spokesperson CJ Macklin said 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 company said it will release more details in the coming days.

In California, the average price of a gallon of regular-grade gasoline Monday was $5.74; it was even higher in Los Angeles County, at $5.82, according to the American Automobile Association.

A year ago, they were $3.83 and $3.89 respectively.

Prices had already been climbing because of supply chain issues during the pandemic, but they’ve spiked even higher in the last month after Russia began its invasion of Ukraine.

Lyft’s competitor, Uber, last Friday announced a temporary fuel surcharge that will begin Wednesday.

The change will add an additional $0.45 or $0.55 per ride and $0.35 or $0.45 per Uber Eats order depending on the location, the company announced. The fees were calculated based on average trip distance and increase in state gas prices compared to historic averages, the company said.

Uber said it will continue to monitor gas prices over the next 60 days and reevaluate the surcharge after.