{"id":189276,"date":"2026-03-12T21:57:07","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T21:57:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/189276\/"},"modified":"2026-03-12T21:57:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T21:57:07","slug":"higher-gas-prices-leave-uber-and-lyft-drivers-feeling-the-pinch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/189276\/","title":{"rendered":"Higher gas prices leave Uber and Lyft drivers feeling the pinch"},"content":{"rendered":"

ORLANDO, Fla. \u2013 If you rely on rideshare apps or food delivery services, you may soon notice longer wait times \u2014 or fewer drivers available.<\/p>\n

Drivers say rising gas prices are cutting into their profits and forcing many to rethink when and where they work.<\/p>\n

Since the war in Iran, gas prices have climbed nationwide, putting additional pressure on drivers who depend on the road to make a living. Multiple rideshare drivers in Orange County told News 6 the rising costs are hitting them hard.<\/p>\n

[WATCH: 3 apps to save money at the pump]<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now you have to spend more to travel, work and everything,\u201d one driver said.<\/p>\n

With more money going straight into the gas tank, many drivers say they\u2019re feeling the squeeze.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m feeling everything,\u201d said another driver who works for both Uber and Lyft.<\/p>\n

According to AAA<\/a>, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline has jumped nearly 35 cents in the past week, continuing an upward trend tied to instability in the Middle East and rising crude oil prices.<\/p>\n

A AAA spokesperson says Florida\u2019s statewide average is about $3.72 per gallon, while the price in Orlando is slightly higher at around $3.76.<\/p>\n

Experts say gas prices are still adjusting to sharp increases in the crude oil market following the conflict.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you\u2019re in war, everything is changing,\u201d one driver said. \u201cRent goes up, gas goes up, food goes up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Drivers say they are now checking their gas levels before deciding whether to accept rides.<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore, to fill my tank it was about $35. Right now it costs me $55,\u201d one driver said. Another driver said his fill-up has jumped from about $35 to more than $50.<\/p>\n

As costs rise, many drivers say they\u2019re becoming more selective about the rides they accept.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt depends on the time and the miles,\u201d one driver explained. \u201cNormally in the morning it\u2019s not good, and the night is better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some drivers say the short trips offered through apps often aren\u2019t worth it.<\/p>\n

\u201cUber can tell you it\u2019s four or five minutes, but it\u2019s almost 15 minutes for four dollars,\u201d one driver said. \u201cThey don\u2019t count the traffic or traffic lights, so it\u2019s not worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even drivers who run their own transportation businesses say they\u2019ve had to increase prices to keep up.<\/p>\n

\u201cI used to charge $100, now I charge $120 to make up for my gas and time,\u201d one driver said. \u201cIt\u2019s the only way it will work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Experts warn gas prices could continue to rise before they begin to stabilize \u2014 something drivers say could hurt both them and their customers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe customers suffer and the drivers suffer,\u201d one driver said.<\/p>\n

Drivers say they hope prices drop soon so their work \u2014 and riders\u2019 wait times \u2014 can return to normal.<\/p>\n

Breaking News Alerts<\/p>\n

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Copyright 2026 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ORLANDO, Fla. \u2013 If you rely on rideshare apps or food delivery services, you may soon notice longer…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":189277,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[558,1917,740,28,30,29,11248,21539,107,6312],"class_list":["post-189276","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-business","tag-consumer","tag-economy","tag-florida","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news","tag-gas-prices","tag-iran","tag-travel","tag-uber"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/189276","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=189276"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/189276\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/189277"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=189276"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=189276"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=189276"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}