SAN FRANCISCO — Lyft gave more details Wednesday about a temporary fuel surcharge to help drivers deal with rising gas prices.
"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 said in a statement earlier this week.
Lyft later said the surcharge will be 55 cents per ride. It starts next week and will last for at least 60 days.
The surcharge doesn't apply in New York City due to a recent 5.3% increase in the minimum earnings standard for drivers there. It also won't immediately apply in Nevada, where the company says regulatory requirements prevent an immediate rollout.
Lyft drivers can also apply for a Lyft Direct debit card to get an increased 4% to 5% cash back on gas purchases through June 30. Lyft also has a partnership with GetUpside that was announced in January that can help most of its drivers get cash back on gas purchases.
The company's shares rose 4% Wednesday.
Fellow rideshare company Uber has a similar surcharge going into effect Wednesday. Uber's fuel surcharge will be either 45 or 55 cents on each trip and either 35 or 45 cents on each Uber Eats order.
Like Lyft, Uber's entire surcharge will go to drivers, who are responsible for paying out-of-pocket for the gas they use.
Another gig company, DoorDash, said Tuesday it will refund its drivers for some U.S. gasoline purchases through a cash-back program.
Gas prices have shot up over recent weeks, and experts they're likely to remain high in the short term amid soaring crude oil costs and global supply concerns following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
AAA estimates the average price of gas in the US for Monday to be $4.325. Gas prices had passed the previous record of $4.10 earlier in March, but that record doesn't account for inflation -- in today's terms, the record price would be equal to about $5.24.
Governors from several states have urged Congress to suspend the federal government's 18-cent-a-gallon gas tax through the remainder of this year. But some transportation advocates say there's no guarantee a gas tax cut would get fully passed on to consumers.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.