The war in Ukraine is impacting gas prices around the world. Drivers are feeling the pinch at the pump as the cost continues to rise, but the impact is hitting food delivery drivers especially hard.
“I paid $70 a week on gas. So if you take away gas, I made $100 each week and that’s for 10 hours of work. So that’s $10 an hour. So that’s not even minimum wage,” said Uber Eats driver Daniel Henderson.
The Montrealer has delivered for the online ordering company for the past year and a half. The flexible schedule supplements his income as a part-time caregiver for children with special needs.
“I put myself in a situation where I rely on Uber,” he said.
The driver would not give his employers a positive rating. Henderson told Global News they have done nothing to support workers at a time when they need it most.
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“Uber does not pay their drivers well enough at the moment, and they need to at least consider paying for some of the price of the car or a gas or of maintenance,” he said.
In a statement to Global News, Uber spokesperson Jonathan Hamel writes, “we know that increasing gas prices are a challenge for drivers, and we’re looking into how best to help.”
Carol Montreuil, vice-president of the Canadian Fuels Association, claims it’s difficult to predict just how much more prices at the pump will rise.
“Until we can really have a better idea as to where these important issues are going, no one can predict where prices are going to be next summer or a month and even in the next week,” said Montreuil.
According to CAA Quebec, the average cost of gas in Montreal Thursday is 198.1 cents per litre, up roughly 21 cents from last week.
“The immediate uncertainty of the gas price is going higher and higher and higher and higher (and) is making it almost impossible for me to imagine keeping doing this,” said Henderson.
Depending how much more the price increases, Henderson warns that there will be a significant decrease in delivery drivers on the road.