Record high gas prices affecting rideshare and delivery drivers
As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues, gas prices in the country have kept reaching record highs. President Joe Biden announced Tuesday the U.S will ban all Russian imports, causing even more pain at the pump for Americans.
The average price for a gallon of regular gas in Riverside County now stands at $5.40, according to AAA. That's higher than the national average of $4.17.
The high gas prices have been causing app-based drivers, who work for companies like Uber and Lyft, to make less money than before.
Vipul Kapoor has been an Uber driver for 6 years. With gas prices high, he has become much more selective about the rides he chooses to take on.
"I mean, how are we supposed to make any money here?" said Kapoor. "Now we're getting requests to go 15, 20, 25 miles to pick people up to take them a couple of miles for peanuts. It's not worth it... We're not making any money. You have to be real selective."
He said a lot of rideshare drivers have left the job recently.
"I feel bad for the passengers. Okay, that people are stranded," said Kapoor.
So if you plan to use a rideshare app, be ready to possibly pay more and wait longer depending on your destination.
Uber driver Cheryl Ochinero used to average $1000 a week and now it's about $800.
"Shorter rides, which Palm Springs has a lot of, we're a tourist destination in between hotels, you know, restaurants, those are going to be much tougher because they consume more gas," said Ochinero. "Our tourists, that's why we're here. They need us but I'm trying to find a happy medium."
We reached out to Uber regarding the high gas prices plaguing their drivers.
Statement From Uber Spokesperson
“We know higher prices at the pump can be a challenge, which is why we recently launched a new feature that helps drivers save up to 25¢ per gallon through cash back with GetUpSide. 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.”
Businesses that rely on deliveries, like Rancho Mirage Florist, are also feeling the price pinch. The extra costs could be passed on to their customers. Mark Weinstein owns the flower shop. The shop has multiple vans to deliver flower orders. Weinstein said he'll likely have to increase the delivery charge by about one or two dollars in the coming days to make up for the loss.
"It's gonna affect me badly. It's out of control. Things, just going through the roof," said Weinstein. "Our flowers charges have remained the same. Hopefully, we can keep it at that. But we'll see what happens."
