CT ride-share drivers say gas prices making it hard to get by
BRIDGEPORT — Blaming inflation and high gas prices, ride-share drivers who serve the greater Bridgeport and New Haven areas say it’s getting harder to make ends meet.
“It was tough before to make a living. Now, it’s almost impossible,” said John Coniglio, an Uber driver and member of the Connecticut Drivers United Foundation, an advocacy organization for ride-share drivers.
While Lyft and Uber representatives said they have offered help through things like fuel surcharges, some drivers argue that it’s not enough.
The surge in fuel prices has hurt ride-share drivers nationwide, but Coniglio said drivers who serve Fairfield County are also dealing with added challenges from driving customers to New York City airports.
Coniglio, who lives in Shelton, said he recently went from driving Uber part-time to rarely taking rides since gas prices have made it so difficult to continue.
But before he largely stopped, Coniglio said another issue had to do with geography.
Connecticut-based rideshare drivers commonly head to New York to drop off passengers at one of the two major airports, LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy. However, New York City only allows those who have a New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission license to pick up passengers within the city. Both Uber and Lyft require their New York area drivers to have TLC licenses.
That means drivers like Coniglio are out of luck since if they make those trips, they will go back to Connecticut without passengers.
“So on the way back to Connecticut, we have to pay the tolls. And they’re pretty hefty — you got the bridge toll. And then you got another toll in Westchester. And we have to pay the gas and maintenance and everything,” he said.
As a result, some drivers have stopped picking up Connecticut residents heading to a New Yorkarea airport, he said.
Carlos Gomez, a West
Haven resident who drives for Uber and founded the Connecticut Drivers United Foundation, said not only is it tough to make ends meet but companies aren’t helping drivers. Uber said it would compensate drivers suffering from higher gas prices with a surcharge, but Gomez said many aren’t getting the added money.
“The 55 cents that the company offers to drivers, many drivers don’t get that. I’ve spoken to a lot of drivers here, they say they don’t get it and the process to get the added money is confusing,” Gomez said.
An Uber representative Harry Hartfield, however, argued drivers do get their fuel surcharges on every ride.
These surcharges are the result of increasing fuel costs. Gas is now on average $4.75 a gallon in Fairfield County, the highest in the state according to AAA. But while gas prices have increased recently, ride-share drivers in the state have sought minimum pay for years.
Lyft directed requests for comment to a March press release stating drivers will get a 55 cents fuel surcharge payment as well as get cash back if they use a Lyft Direct debit card. Lyft has since said the surcharge will continue indefinitely.
Gomez delivers for Uber Eats in the Bridgeport area and has done so for around a year. Uber Eats currently has a 45 cents surcharge for food deliveries. But Gomez said while he makes two trips in total for every delivery, he only gets the 45 cents extra once.
Coniglio said the situation is made worse by what Uber counts as eligible for the surcharge.
“Here’s the catch. Uber
pays us 65 cents a mile. And that’s only while you have a passenger. So I might have to drive five miles or three miles to pick somebody up, (but) I don’t get paid for that. Once I pick them up, the clock starts, they may be going three miles. So it might be a $4 fare or $5 fare. So technically, I’m driving close to 10 miles. And I’m only getting paid for three or four miles,” Coniglio said.
Both companies have encouraged drivers to obtain an electric car. Electric cars are considered cheaper over the long run since prices to charge a car are much less than gas prices. But according to Jesenia Rodriguez, an Uber driver from New Haven, an electric car isn’t always a viable solution.
She said while it doesn’t cost much to charge up the car, the low ride-share payouts can make it difficult to stay on top of car payments.
But Hartfield said while he doesn’t have information for Connecticut drivers, Uber drivers in general are still making good money.
“Our CEO shared a stat on our last earnings call that drivers who are driving more than 20 hours a week, on average, they’re making $39 an hour. So the earnings are still really high. And if you’ve tried to call on Uber recently, you’ve probably seen that they’ve become more expensive. And part of that is because we have more people looking for rides than we do drivers who can give them and so there it is still very good earnings,” Hartfield said.
But Hartfield also said the company was aware of the toll inflation was taking on drivers. Uber has announced the surcharge will be indefinite and Hartfield said the company was researching ways to help drivers longterm.
While drivers said the surcharge doesn’t cover their expenses, Hartfield said the alternative would only be more confusing.
“If we peg changes to the price of gas, inevitably, what happens is those changes also go down. And that creates a lot of confusion and frustration for drivers also, so we’re trying to find a solution that coincides with the increases but also doesn’t punish drivers when gas prices go down,” he said.
But while Uber said it’s looking for ways to help drivers, Gomez said many drivers are also not in a financial position to get an electric car.
Coniglio said he’s not trying to get rich but he wants to have a decent standard of living.
“I don’t think we should all be millionaires who drive an Uber, but you should be able to make some money. When you’re making only $10 an hour driving your car, that’s not good. It’s not good at all,” Coniglio said.