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Lyft adds temporary surcharge to rides as U.S. gas prices spike

ASSOCIATED PRESS / FEB. 9
                                A passer-by walks past a sign offering directions to an Uber and Lyft ride pickup location at Logan International Airport, in Boston. R

ASSOCIATED PRESS / FEB. 9

A passer-by walks past a sign offering directions to an Uber and Lyft ride pickup location at Logan International Airport, in Boston. R

Lyft Inc. will be adding a surcharge to rides in a bid to help drivers, following a similar move by rival Uber Technology Inc. last week in response to the rising fuel costs across the U.S.

“We’ve been closely monitoring rising gas prices and their impact on our driver community,” a Lyft spokesman said Monday in an email. “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 didn’t elaborate on how high the new surcharge would be or what markets would be affected.

Ride-hailing giants are grappling with the prospect of drivers leaving the platform as record-high gas prices whittle down earnings. On Friday Uber announced it would be applying a fee of 45 cents or 55 cents per trip for rides and 35 cents or 45 cents for Uber Eats delivery orders for the next 60 days.

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