Record High Gas Prices Hit Bay Area Rideshare Drivers Especially Hard
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) -- As gas prices soar to unprecedented highs, rideshare drivers are getting hit especially hard.
Uber driver Ahmed Ahmed of Hayward shared his credit card charges with KPIX 5. Since the weekend, he's already spent nearly $400 on gas.
"I made $150, is what I make, how many hour I work - 11 hours - to make $150. It's not fair," said Ahmed. "I'm new immigrant here in US, it's too hard for me..."
That's the case if you ask any of the Uber or Lyft drivers waiting, sometimes for hours, for their next pickup at SFO.
"I didn't make money. Yesterday, I'm driving 8 hours, I put gas $110 dollars, I make $180," said Sameer Qandeh of San Francisco.
His take-home $70, which isn't enough to cover his expenses, he said.
The high gas prices are making drivers reconsider working for rideshare apps.
"I'm thinking to delete the app and stay at home, that's it," said Qandeh. "What am I going to do, I don't make money, just to add mileage to my car?"
Sam Jwanat of Millbrae is now shelling out $200 more each week at the pump.
"I work this job extra to help my son at university. So $200 it makes sense to me. And sometimes we spend three hours here we don't get any rides," he said.
Drivers want rideshare companies to raise their base rates or prices for customers to offset the cost of gas.
"We keep doing the same thing with prices, we driving, we working, but nothing give us any attention," said Jwanat.
Uber said in a statement:
"Our platform only works if it works for drivers, so we'll continue to monitor gas prices and listen to drivers over the coming weeks."
Both Uber and Lyft said they have partnerships with cash-back programs for fuel purchases, in an attempt to provide some relief for drivers.