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Uber Announces Fuel Surcharge as Gas Prices Soar

Trips will cost between 45 and 55 cents extra to account for rising fuel prices.

Corinne Reichert Senior Editor
Corinne Reichert (she/her) grew up in Sydney, Australia and moved to California in 2019. She holds degrees in law and communications, and currently writes news, analysis and features for CNET across the topics of electric vehicles, broadband networks, mobile devices, big tech, artificial intelligence, home technology and entertainment. In her spare time, she watches soccer games and F1 races, and goes to Disneyland as often as possible.
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The fuel surcharge will also apply to Uber Eats orders.

 Uber

With gas prices at an all-time high, Uber is introducing a temporary fuel surcharge to help its drivers and couriers pay their bills. 

"While earnings on our platform remain elevated compared to historical trends, the recent spike in gas prices has affected ride share and delivery driver," Uber said in a blog post Friday. "To help reduce the burden, we are rolling out a temporary fuel surcharge."

The surcharge will kick in March 16, costing customers 45 to 55 cents additional per trip and 35 to 45 cents extra for Uber Eats orders. That money will go directly to the drivers, and Uber says it will reassess the fee in 60 days.

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The fees exclude trips starting in New York City and orders being delivered to customers in New York City.

Uber is also "seizing this moment to bolster our efforts to help more drivers make the switch to electric vehicles." The company's Green Future Program provides EV drivers with an extra $1 per trip (capped at $4,000 per year) as incentive.

Fuel prices have been skyrocketing as the US bans Russian oil imports in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with demand outstripping supply. On Friday, the US average price hit $4.33 per gallon, a 50-cent increase from a week ago, according to AAA. The state with the highest cost is California, which averaged $5.70 as of Friday.