METAIRIE, La. — There are signs the price of oil may be stabilizing for the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine.
Monday, the cost of crude oil briefly dipped below $100 a barrel after cresting at more than $130 dollars last week. But the price of gasoline at the pump remains more than $4.00 a gallon in the New Orleans area.
Uber riders will soon have to pay a surcharge to help offset higher fuel costs. Metairie Uber driver Frank Dixon drives about 1,000 miles a week, taking passengers from here to there.
“I fill up every day,” he said.
"The price of a fill up has gone from $35 to $60 in a short span of time,” Dixon added.
“They’ve gone up considerably in the last couple of weeks. Actually, the last couple of months. It’s been going like this.”
Wednesday, Uber is adding a gasoline surcharge on fares and deliveries. Riders will pay a fee of 45 to 55 cents per trip depending on their location. Uber eats deliveries will include a 35 to 45 cents surcharge. All of the money will go to the drivers.
“It’s going to help us a lot, we need it,” Dixon said. “Thank God, Uber thought of it.”
Uber riders we spoke with told us they don’t mind paying the fee if drivers get the money.
“I feel for these guys,” rider Don Wolf said. “They’re just out trying to make a living and if that helps, 50 cents really is no sweat off of me.”
“If they’re paying for all of that gas, straight out of pocket and to fill your tank it’s $60, you’re going to see less drivers on the road and it’s going to be harder to get picked up,” rider Angela Hentemann said.
Until gas prices come back down, Dickson says he will have to work a little harder to cover expenses.
“The good thing is people are starting to come back to New Orleans. We’re starting to have all the festivals. That’s the best news of it all.”
The Uber gasoline surcharge is only temporary. According to the company it will last at least a couple of months.
Lyft is planning on putting a similar fee in place to support their drivers.
"We’ve been closely monitoring rising gas prices and their impact on our driver community. 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," Lyft Senior Communications Manager CJ Macklin said.
According to AAA, Monday the average price for regular gas in Louisiana was $4.14 a gallon. That’s down about a penny from Sunday.
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