Yahoo Finance Uber trips just got more expensive - here’s how much extra you’ll pay
Ridesharing platform Uber has introduced a temporary fuel surcharge in Australia to help its drivers cope with sky-high petrol prices.
With petrol prices cracking the $2-a-litre mark in many places and some experts expecting prices to spike as high as $2.70 a litre by the end of the year, the ridesharing platform said its drivers were struggling to cover their costs.
Users will pay a surcharge per kilometre, which will amount to around 50 cents per trip on average.
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Uber said 100 per cent of the surcharge would go to drivers.
“The goal of this is to reduce the burden of the unprecedented nature of recent fuel increases while keeping the Uber platform working well for everyone,” Uber Australia said in a statement.
The surcharge will stay in place for 60 days
Fuel prices keep going up
Energy experts have warned motorists to brace for petrol prices as high as $2.50-$2.70 a litre.
The conflict in Ukraine is one of the key reasons oil prices are skyrocketing and making petrol so expensive.
How to get cheaper fuel
If you are looking to keep your petrol costs down, there are several apps that show the cheapest fuel in your area. You can save a lot by shopping around.
Some states and territories have mandatory fuel-prices databases but there are also third-party apps populated with crowdsourced data.
If you live in NSW, you can use the state government’s NSW FuelCheck app.
Earlier this month, Compare the Market spokesperson Sarah Orr said there was a 28-cent difference between the highest and lowest-priced fuel in Brisbane.
“So that could save you about $14 if you are to fill up a 50-litre tank,” she said.
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