Instacart is adding a temporary fuel surcharge to customers‘ orders to help its driver-shoppers afford rising gas prices.
The company wrote in a blog post on its website that the $.40 per order charge would be implemented “over the next month,” adding that “every cent of the new, temporary fuel surcharge will be passed straight onto the shopper,” and it will  go into effect “in the coming days.”
A spokesperson for the company told The Verge that it would be in effect one month after implementation. When asked if it would apply to electric and hybrid cars, Charlotte Healow said the car did not matter.
“While shoppers on our platform tend to spend more time shopping and less time driving, we know that there is still an acute need to address rising gas prices and make sure we’re supporting shoppers during this time,” Tom Maguire, Instacart Vice President of Operations and Care, said in the blog post.
DoorDash, a competitor in the food delivery industry, just established a rewards program for drivers that will offer them 10% back on gas purchases if they use its Dasher Direct prepaid debit card. It will also introduce cash bonuses for drivers who make DoorDash deliveries for 100 miles or more every week.
According to a DoorDash blog post, both programs will last through at least April.
Lyft and Uber also recently announced temporary fuel surcharges that would be paid directly to drivers.
The surcharge will be applied to Uber’s ridesharing, and Uber Eats food delivery services. Depending on the customer’s location, Uber passengers will pay $0.40 or $0.55 each journey, while Uber Eats customers will pay $0.35 or $0.45 per order.
The surcharge on Lyft will increase the cost of each ride by $0.55. Both companies stated that the fees would apply to all drivers, including those who use electric vehicles.
In New York City, both companies said the surcharge wouldn’t take effect because of the 5.3 % salary increase for drivers on March 1st.
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