NYC Uber drivers protest rising gas prices, demand relief



New York City Uber drivers protested outside the company's Manhattan headquarters on Tuesday, demanding that the company create a "fuel surcharge" to compensate for rising gas prices.

Inflation, the ongoing war in Ukraine, and supply constraints have collided with rising demand for gasoline as the world returns to the pre-pandemic normal, sending prices at the pump skyward. The national average price for a gallon of gas was $4.24 on Tuesday, which is 50% more expensive compared to last year and 17% higher than last month, according to the American Automobile Association.

Drivers in the rideshare industry say they are getting priced out of profits between paying for gas and sharing what they make with the company.

“Before I used to fill up my tank for $50. Now it’s $70,” protester Wasim Miya told the New York Post. “It’s very hard for drivers. It’s not even worth it to work more because you are using more gas.”

Earlier in March, both Uber and its competitor Lyft announced they would add a surcharge in response to rising gas prices. Uber tacked on a $0.45 to $0.55 fee per trip and Uber Eats deliveries added a $0.35 to $0.45 surcharge. These fees are temporary and will last for at least two months, the company said.

But drivers say this is not enough.

A survey conducted by "The Rideshare Guy," a blog and podcast for rideshare drivers, found that 43% of Uber and Lyft drivers say they're driving less or have quit their jobs because gas is too expensive, despite the surcharge.

“Many drivers say that the fuel surcharges are not enough and they would have preferred to see a per-mile surcharge to account for the increased fuel expenditure on long trips instead of a flat fee,” said Harry Campbell, founder and CEO of "The Rideshare Guy."

With no hope of relief from the city government, drivers want rideshare companies to take a smaller commission from rides and charge passengers a higher surcharge to help cover the cost of gas.

“In a usual day when you book $200, you take $100, today you[‘re] taking $50 or $60 because all the money is going into buying gas,” said another driver, Jahon Gir.

Gir and other fed-up Uber drivers formed a caravan with their vehicles, driving across the Brooklyn Bridge to the company's headquarters on the West Side of Manhattan, then going to the World Trade Center. They carried signs saying things like "Need Money 4 Gas" and "Gas Prices Are Killing Our Income!"

“I have a wife and six kids. Inflation is so high. I’m feeling the squeeze,” said Pedro Acosta. "Our money is going nowhere because of the gas prices. We need some increase.”

Energy industry pro annihilates clueless Buttigieg, Democrat policies causing gas price hike



Pete Buttigieg had a completely nonsensical solution this past week for Americans feeling the major sting from rising gas prices: just get an electric vehicle!

Pete Buttigieg wants people to simply buy an electric car so they don't have to worry about rising gas prices.pic.twitter.com/VBcIfRotvE
— TheBlaze (@TheBlaze) 1646672497

"So much is wrong with that statement, from start to finish,” said Jacki Daily, host of "The Jacki Daily Show."

“We need to use what we have right now, in place already, for the immediate crisis. Does he understand there’s a war going on that can quickly explode into something much bigger? Does he understand it?! We don’t have time for this," Daily continued.

Daily, whose career spans two decades of experience in the energy industry, politics, and law, joined Allie Beth Stuckey on "Relatable," to discuss the intricacies of the current situation with oil and gas production that are causing these record-high gas prices, and how Democrat 'green' policies are basically thinly veiled schemes to funnel more money to the wealthy.

"He clearly doesn't understand that electric vehicles are made from oil. Every piece of them are made from oil: the fiberglass, the paint, the battery, everything is made from oil,” Daily pointed out, becoming more impatient with Buttigieg’s cluelessness. “Moreover, I mean, the battery components themselves are made of rare earth elements, the supply chain of which is controlled by China. He’s giving more supply-chain control to China!”

Germany is also doubling down on building more solar and electric-powered vehicles at this time, claiming they control their solar energy, but it’s China that controls solar, and it’s China that controls the electric vehicles, Daily told Stuckey. To top it off, Germany sits atop a sea of natural gas, but because the green movement succeeded in stopping them from fracking, they’ve become totally dependent on Russia for natural gas, which is the same thing seen happening in America.

"Pete Buttigieg clearly doesn't understand that electric vehicles are made from OIL...moreover, the battery components themselves are made of rare earth elements, the supply chain of which is controlled by China."\n\n@JackiDailyHost drops knowledge on Buttigieg, w/@conservmillenpic.twitter.com/Q8ZJIgi5p4
— TheBlaze (@TheBlaze) 1646968654

Despite what the Biden administration would have you believe, Daily explained that the blame for what's going on truly does rest with Biden and Democrats, not Russia. While Donald Trump directed his administration to invest in American energy as much as possible, Biden's administration is using ESG scores to dissuade anyone from investing in oil and gas, becoming a perfect example of how liberal politics negatively affects the everyday person.

Daily also warned against falling for what media and the government spew in their attempt to hype up the fear in Americans over issues, especially during a time of crisis.

“Nothing’s more dangerous than government,” Daily warned. “Government is very powerful. As Elon Musk said, ‘It’s the biggest corporation and has a monopoly on legal violence.’ How about we not hand over our money, and our sovereignty, and our rights, to a handful of people who obviously don’t know what they’re doing, and can’t be trusted.”

Get all the details surrounding the rising gas prices the Democrats don't want you to know below, or listen to the podcast here.


You can catch all episodes of ‘The Jacki Daily Show’ here.


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Biden claims his global warming policies aren't to blame for price of gas skyrocketing



President Joe Biden claimed that his policies meant to fight global warming weren't the cause of skyrocketing price of gas at the pumps.

Biden made these dubious claims during a speech at the White House on Tuesday where he announced that he would order the Department of Energy to release 50 million gallons of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to ease gas prices.

He went on to blame oil companies and claim that his environmental policies had no effect on gas prices.

"I also want to address one myth about inflated gas prices. They're not due to environmental measures," he claimed.

"My effort to combat climate change is not raising the price of gas," he said, "or [increasing] its availability."

The national average for gas prices is up 7.5 cents over the last month, but $1.08 over the last year. Critics of Biden have pointed to comments he made targeting fossil fuel companies and saying that he would drive them out of business.

Biden also tried to reassure Americans about the cost of food rising ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.

"Moms and dads are worried, asking will there be enough food we can afford to buy for the holidays, will we be able to get Christmas presents to the kids on time and if so, will they cost me an arm and a leg," Biden said.

"All these concerns a few weeks ago, there would not be ample food available for Thanksgiving, so many people talked about that, understandably," he added. "But families can rest easy. Grocery stores are well-stocked with turkey and everything else you need for Thanksgiving and the major retailers I mentioned have confirmed that their shelves will be well-stocked in stores this holiday season."

Inflation has also been worsened by a supply chain crisis that has crippled shipments from across the world. Economists say that restrictions against automation put in place by unions are partly to blame for the economic debacle.

Here's more about Biden's economy speech:

Biden says won't 'stand by idly' waiting for gas prices to fallwww.youtube.com