For the first time in three months the national average for gas has dropped. According to AAA, in the past week, the price has gone down two cents, but in Texas it has gone up by one cent.
In this summer of high gas prices many are turning to Uber and Lyft to try to save money. But, some of their drivers are also feeling the pain at the pump as they pay out of pocket to fill up and drive us around.
“It’s defeating the purpose of working extra because I’m not making extra because it is all going to gas,” Stephanie Holmes of Lewisville said.
Holmes has driven for both Uber and Lyft for about a year and because of gas prices, she is having to cut back.
“I don’t do as much as I used to. I used to do it all during the week and now I’ve cut back – trying to do it just once or twice during the weekends,” Holmes said. “Even with that, I’m spending more out of pocket than I am making.”
Holmes said she has heard from other drivers dealing with the same issues and has heard the same anecdotal accounts from riders.
“I get a couple of customers who say they haven’t been using it as much because it is either too expensive during that time of the day [because of surge prices] or because I guess many drivers are not driving as much anymore,” Holmes said. “So, it is making the customer have to pay more for their rides each time.”
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Uber explains on its website what happens when high rider volume meets low driver volume:
Demand for rides increases
"There are times when so many people are requesting rides that there aren’t enough cars on the road to help take them all. Bad weather, rush hour, and special events, for instance, may cause unusually large numbers of people to want to ride Uber all at the same time."
Prices go up
"In these cases of very high demand, fares may increase to help ensure those who need a ride can get one. This system is called surge pricing, and it lets us continue to be a reliable choice."
Riders pay more or wait
"Whenever we raise rates due to surge pricing, we let riders know in the app. Some riders will choose to pay, while some will choose to wait a few minutes to see if the rates go back down to normal."
Lyft has an incentive program that works to keep drivers in rotation by offering an incentive program.
“Drivers have the opportunity to receive gas discounts through our Accelerate program,” Communications Manager Kaitlyn Carl said.
Lyft recently announced a $100,000,000 “investment to benefit drivers…footprint to help reduce drivers’ expenses and strengthen their support networks.”
