Impact of higher gas prices for delivery drivers

NOW: Impact of higher gas prices for delivery drivers

INDIANA -- Fuel costs continue to rise, with prices at their highest since 2023.

According to AAA, the national average is nearing four dollars a gallon.

The pain at the pump is hitting delivery drivers. Some are saying if the prices keep rising, they might have to re-evaluate this normally lucrative job.

For Barb Patrick, delivering for Uber Eats and DoorDash after work on weekdays and on weekends had been a fun, somewhat easy way to bring in some extra cash. Now, with fuel costs rising, she says it might be time to re-evaluate.

"I'm still doing it, I make a little less, and I have to fill my tank up of course, it costs more to fill it up, at least $25 more each fill up, but I still do it every day, I get less money every week now, but all in all, it's still money that comes in. It's better to have money than no money at all," said Barb Patrick, delivery driver for UberEats and DoorDash.

A slight silver lining -Patrick says she's seeing more generous tips as gas prices have climbed higher.

"Consumers are paying larger tips, I noticed. This weekend, I made really good tips from consumers, and I think it's because of the gas prices increasing," said Patrick.

Leslie Kauffman has been delivering for Uber, DoorDash, and local establishments for more than a decade. She says she'd like to see the food delivery services offering more incentives for their drivers forced to pay more for fuel.

"They have incentives to get you on the road so Uber will pay you an extra $25 if you do 20 deliveries, or DoorDash will give you a dollar for this amount of time or two dollars for this amount of time, so there's an incentive to get you on the road, make a little more money than you normally would. Definitely more incentives to get out and do it, because if you're not going to make a lot of money, and you're spending money to do it then where's the incentive, where's the urge to go do it," said Kauffman.

Close