Joining its main competitor, ride share firm Lyft announced Monday that it plans to add a gas “surcharge” for riders.
In an emailed statement, Lyft senior communications manager CJ Macklin said soaring gas prices have had an impact on the company’s drivers.
“Driver earnings 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…,” Macklin said.
The charge, according to the company, will go directly to Lyft drivers, though no details were revealed.
Last week, Uber announced a surcharge that it said would be either 45 cents or 55 cents per trip.
According to the Associated Press, the average price for a gallon of unleaded gasoline in the United States has jumped by more than 20% during the past two weeks.
The average price now sits at close to $4.50 per gallon and is likely to go higher in the coming weeks, experts have widely predicted.
Though gas prices typically rise in the U.S. as the summer driving season nears, Russia’s war in Ukraine has worked to catapult fuel costs into new territory this year.
President Joe Biden last week announced a ban on imports of Russian oil, gas and goal in retaliation for the invasion of Ukraine.
Russia is a major oil producer, which means that the effects of the war have sent shock waves throughout the global energy markets.