UBER PRICE HIKE | Passengers to cop fuel surcharge from tomorrow
Catching an Uber is about to get more expensive, with the ride-share giant set to impose a new fuel surcharge on Australian passengers from Wednesday.
From April 15, riders travelling in petrol, diesel and hybrid vehicles will be charged an additional 5 cents per kilometre on every trip.
Uber says the full amount will be passed directly to drivers struggling to keep pace with soaring fuel costs. Electric vehicle trips will be exempt from the surcharge.
The move follows a national fare increase Uber rolled out in March, also aimed at lifting driver earnings.
Uber Australia managing director Emma Foley said the latest measure reflected the company's ongoing focus on driver welfare amid extraordinary cost pressures.
"This measure builds on the national fare update Uber introduced in March, which increased drivers' earnings across Australia, and reflects Uber's continued focus on improving drivers' earnings," she said.
The surcharge is temporary, set to remain in place until June 8, though Uber has flagged it will keep a close eye on fuel prices and broader economic conditions before making any further decisions.
Uber is not alone. Rival ride-share platform DiDi moved first, introducing an identical 5 cents per kilometre surcharge last month.
The Uber surcharge is just the latest ripple effect from a fuel crisis now washing across multiple sectors of the Australian economy.
Australia Post has lifted fuel surcharges for contract customers, while the NSW government has been auditing council fuel supplies and adding 166 commuter trains to the Sydney network to ease demand.
The federal government has also announced a $20 million advertising campaign aimed at reducing fuel consumption nationwide.
The full scale of the damage on Australian businesses is becoming clearer, with new data from the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry showing 22 per cent of businesses surveyed recently reported severe impacts from the crisis.
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