‘I’m done’: Rideshare drivers on the brink of quitting over higher gas prices
Tamira Moncur told CNN in March she wasn't sure if she would keep up her side gig driving for Lyft if the price of gas keeps climbing.
By Vanessa Yurkevich, CNN
(CNN) — Tamira Moncur didn’t fill up her tank at an Atlanta-area gas station last month because she was afraid she couldn’t afford it.
The teacher, who works part-time as a Lyft driver, doesn’t know how long she can keep up the side gig if the price of gas keeps climbing.
“I’m working now for rideshare, but I don’t know what that’s going to look like next week. Because if gas is $4 a gallon, I’m done,” she told CNN.
Moncur is one of the millions of Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and Instacart drivers that depend on their cars to earn a living. Gas prices have spiked after the US-Israeli war with Iran, and these drivers have no choice but to pay higher prices if they want to offer rides or make deliveries.
The national average for a gallon of regular gas crossed $4 for the first time since 2022 on Tuesday, up more than a dollar in the past month. Americans have spent north of $8 billion more in the last month to fill up their tanks, according to Gas Buddy.
Leanne Hall, an Uber driver for five years in Las Vegas, Nevada, said she’s worried she won’t turn a profit after filling up her tank.
“I do (rideshares) to make money. And if gas prices keep going up, it’d be foolish to do it,” she said.
Gas prices surged after the war in Iran choked off 20% of the world’s oil in the Strait of Hormuz, sending crude prices above $100 a barrel. Gas is derived from crude oil.
Last week, rideshare and delivery platforms announced ways to help drivers save at the pump.
Uber offered drivers $1 off per gallon through the cash back platform Upside, and an additional 5% if they use the Uber Pro card to buy gas. Lyft offered up to 2% cash back through its own Lyft Direct debit card, and DoorDash gave 10% cash back on its Crimson card. Instacart increased cash back options and plans to pay $5 per week to drivers who exceed 125 miles.
CNN spoke to more than a half-dozen Uber and Lyft drivers and only one had heard about the companies’ offerings. None of them held the cards eligible for cash back incentives.
“Usually if something will come up like that, they will send us an email for us to know it,” Abdallah Lukman, an Uber and Lyft driver in New York City, told CNN. “I’ve not heard anything from anybody.”
This support is also different from the direct assistance Uber and Lyft offered drivers in 2022, when gas prices surged following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Both companies added a 50-cent fuel surcharge per ride that was paid directly by customers.
Lyft and Uber did not respond when CNN asked why they decided to offer cash back instead of fuel surcharges.
In Las Vegas, Hall said she recently stopped driving for Uber for a few days because it didn’t make sense financially. She said drivers should get an additional $1 per mile for each ride, “and we’re not getting that.”
Other drivers echoed the same sentiment.
“I think they need to pay Uber drivers more if the gas prices go up,” said Omar Lewis, a driver in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Azam Bakhriddinov, a Lyft driver in New York City, said he’s now paying $30 more to fill up his tank. However, he isn’t sure who should help with the higher prices.
“I think the government should help, maybe. Customers are looking for cheaper prices,” Bakhriddinov said.
CNN’s Rafael Romo contributed to this report.
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