The fees are meant to help drivers deal with rising fuel costs.

Due to a combination of factors, the most predominant one being the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine and the ensuing economic sanctions, fuel costs are still reaching record highs around the United States. These rising costs have been heavily affecting those who rely on automotive transport for work like rideshare drivers, as more money spent on fuel means less money being made.

In order to aid their drivers in dealing with the rising fuel costs, rideshare companies have been adding fuel surcharges to rideshare requests. These are small fees that a customer pays alongside the flat request fee.

Uber announced last Friday that these charges would begin reflecting on rideshare requests starting this coming Wednesday. Lyft followed suit on Monday, announcing that they too would begin adding fuel surcharges to help their drivers weather the increased costs.

“Driver earnings overall remain elevated compared to last year, but given the rapid rise in gas prices we’ll be asking riders to pay a temporary fuel surcharge, all of which will go to drivers,” Lyft spokesperson CJ Macklin said in a public statement.

According to AAA estimates, the current average cost of gasoline in the United States as of Monday is approximately $4.325 per gallon.