TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — With the rise in gas prices, rideshare drivers are some of the hardest hit.
"Before I was spending $300 to $400 a month," Ismail Achabou, an Uber driver said. "Now it's almost double."
Both Lyft and Uber will offer a $0.55 fuel surcharge per trip, but drivers say that isn't nearly enough.
"So basically, right now I would have to take 9 trips just to buy one gallon of gas with that surcharge," Ian Sager, another driver, said.
Sager said his days have become longer in an effort to turn a profit.
"From the time you leave your house to the time you get home lately I've been doing 16-hour days," Sager said.
Drivers in cities across the country have gone on strike. However, here in Tucson that is difficult even if some are on board.
"You know we are not union in Tucson," Achabou said. "It's not like the other states like California or New York that are like union."
With the prices at the pump continuing to rise, some of the drivers in Tucson said that they have considered other jobs, but enjoy the interaction that being a driver provides.
"If you have kids, if you have to pay rent, you have to pay everything, it's very hard to make money with Uber," Achabou said.
The drivers said that tips are pivitol to turning a profit.
——-
Greg Bradbury is a reporter for KGUN 9. Greg is a graduate of Syracuse University where he studied Broadcast Journalism and Spanish. Greg joined KGUN 9 in February 2021 as a Multimedia Journalist after working at the ABC National Desk as a Digital News Associate. Share your story ideas and important issues with Greg by emailing greg.bradbury@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
