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油价飙升,美国网约车司机的日子不好过

一位网约车司机说,过去燃油成本大概占其净收入的10%。现在这一比例已经提升到60%左右。

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受乌克兰战局影响,美国油价一路攀升,再创历史新高,在此背景之下,“加油”已经成为Uber和Lyft司机的“不能承受之痛”。

3月6日晚上,当45岁的菲利普·吉恩加满油准备去跑Uber时,每加仑汽油的价格是4.19美元,这一价格已经令他感觉“不可思议”,然而7个小时之后,油价又蹿升至4.45美元每加仑。“我的车是普锐斯(Prius),(跑网约车现在)只能勉强做到收支平衡。”吉恩说。吉恩从四年前开始在宾夕法尼亚州的伊斯顿开网约车,据他说,过去燃油成本大概占其净收入的10%。现在这一比例已经提升到60%左右。

随着俄罗斯不断加紧对乌克兰的攻势,美国油价急速飙涨。3月7日,美国议会领袖就禁止从俄罗斯进口石油达成一致,为迅速打击俄罗斯原油铺平了道路。由于市场对此行动已经有所预期,油价出现史上最大单日波动,布伦特原油价格一度飙升至近140美元/桶。

Gasbuddy负责石油分析业务的主管帕特里克·徳罕表示,飙升的油价已经以“惊人”速度传导到加油站零售终端。Gasbuddy是一款帮助用户寻找加油站、节省油费的应用程序。

GasBuddy的数据显示,全美油价上周平均上涨逾49美分,创下有史以来最大的7日涨幅,甚至超过了2005年卡特里娜飓风(Hurricane Katrina)侵袭后的上涨幅度。3月7日,油价一举突破每加仑4.10美元的历史高点。

油价暴涨也让网约车司机们开始考虑,每天四处奔忙拉活是否值得。在菲尼克斯,汽油价格已经飙升至每加仑4.16美元,为给自己的林肯MKS轿车(Lincoln MKS)加满油,46岁的克里斯蒂娜·布朗花了59美元,几乎相当于2021年夏天的两倍。作为一名单身母亲,为补贴家用,布朗每周至少会开10小时的网约车,如果应用程序搞活动,她还会增加驾驶时长。

对于正在从新冠疫情中恢复元气的Lyft和Uber而言,司机群体的犹豫不决将对其构成重大挑战。面对日渐回暖的市场需求,上述两家公司一直在努力招募更多的司机,实际上,由于运力不足,乘客已经饱受等待时间延长、车费上升之苦。上述两家公司的高管曾经表示,自2021年开始通过发放奖励和奖金吸引司机重新上路之后,运力不足的情况已经大幅改善。但YipitData的分析师彼得·马丁称,在截至2月27日的一周之内,每英里平均车费较出现司机短缺前的2021年1月已经高出18%,此种现象表明,奥密克戎疫情爆发后,司机短缺问题并未得到彻底解决。

在政府取消诸多疫情管控措施、越来越多的员工重返办公室办公之际,油价面临的空前冲击给市场平添了更多的不确定性。3月7日早些时候,Uber刚以乘车需求增加为由上调了本季度的盈利预期。

目前尚不清楚增加的燃油成本是否将会转嫁到消费者身上。但Uber表示,油价较当前平均水平每上涨20%,车费只需增加1%即可保住司机和Uber当前的收入水平。

Uber的一位发言人说:“只有让司机有钱赚,我们的平台才能正常运转。因此,未来几周,我们将持续监控油价走势,并会听取司机的意见。”Lyft和Uber均提到了自己与奖励平台GetUpside的合作,并表示此举也是向司机提供即时帮扶的一种方式。(根据相关合作,司机在参与活动的加油站每购买一加仑汽油都将获得GetUpside提供的25美分返现奖励,Lyft白金司机和黄金司机还能够获得更高奖励。)

但司机们明显心存顾虑。在活动组织平台Coworker.org上,一项旨在敦促打车应用程序帮助司机应对高油价问题的请愿活动已经收集到了5500多个签名。该请愿书要求Uber和Lyft减少抽佣,并向司机支付从接单开始到接到乘客这段路程的车费。

请愿书中写道:“全职开车已经无法维持生计,高油价正在逼我们退出网约车市场。我们需要涨价!”

实际上,在俄乌冲突推高油价之前,布朗已经在重新考虑是否还要继续开网约车。Lyft司机接单时,应用程序只会根据司机接到乘客之后产生的里程向司机支付费用。她说:“有时候为了接乘客,我需要空驶15分钟,但送客距离却只有一英里,这样每单我只能赚到2.5美元。”随着油价飙升,利润可能还会变得更薄。“如果油价涨到4.25美元,这行就没法干了。”布朗说。(财富中文网)

译者:梁宇

审校:夏林

受乌克兰战局影响,美国油价一路攀升,再创历史新高,在此背景之下,“加油”已经成为Uber和Lyft司机的“不能承受之痛”。

3月6日晚上,当45岁的菲利普·吉恩加满油准备去跑Uber时,每加仑汽油的价格是4.19美元,这一价格已经令他感觉“不可思议”,然而7个小时之后,油价又蹿升至4.45美元每加仑。“我的车是普锐斯(Prius),(跑网约车现在)只能勉强做到收支平衡。”吉恩说。吉恩从四年前开始在宾夕法尼亚州的伊斯顿开网约车,据他说,过去燃油成本大概占其净收入的10%。现在这一比例已经提升到60%左右。

随着俄罗斯不断加紧对乌克兰的攻势,美国油价急速飙涨。3月7日,美国议会领袖就禁止从俄罗斯进口石油达成一致,为迅速打击俄罗斯原油铺平了道路。由于市场对此行动已经有所预期,油价出现史上最大单日波动,布伦特原油价格一度飙升至近140美元/桶。

Gasbuddy负责石油分析业务的主管帕特里克·徳罕表示,飙升的油价已经以“惊人”速度传导到加油站零售终端。Gasbuddy是一款帮助用户寻找加油站、节省油费的应用程序。

GasBuddy的数据显示,全美油价上周平均上涨逾49美分,创下有史以来最大的7日涨幅,甚至超过了2005年卡特里娜飓风(Hurricane Katrina)侵袭后的上涨幅度。3月7日,油价一举突破每加仑4.10美元的历史高点。

油价暴涨也让网约车司机们开始考虑,每天四处奔忙拉活是否值得。在菲尼克斯,汽油价格已经飙升至每加仑4.16美元,为给自己的林肯MKS轿车(Lincoln MKS)加满油,46岁的克里斯蒂娜·布朗花了59美元,几乎相当于2021年夏天的两倍。作为一名单身母亲,为补贴家用,布朗每周至少会开10小时的网约车,如果应用程序搞活动,她还会增加驾驶时长。

对于正在从新冠疫情中恢复元气的Lyft和Uber而言,司机群体的犹豫不决将对其构成重大挑战。面对日渐回暖的市场需求,上述两家公司一直在努力招募更多的司机,实际上,由于运力不足,乘客已经饱受等待时间延长、车费上升之苦。上述两家公司的高管曾经表示,自2021年开始通过发放奖励和奖金吸引司机重新上路之后,运力不足的情况已经大幅改善。但YipitData的分析师彼得·马丁称,在截至2月27日的一周之内,每英里平均车费较出现司机短缺前的2021年1月已经高出18%,此种现象表明,奥密克戎疫情爆发后,司机短缺问题并未得到彻底解决。

在政府取消诸多疫情管控措施、越来越多的员工重返办公室办公之际,油价面临的空前冲击给市场平添了更多的不确定性。3月7日早些时候,Uber刚以乘车需求增加为由上调了本季度的盈利预期。

目前尚不清楚增加的燃油成本是否将会转嫁到消费者身上。但Uber表示,油价较当前平均水平每上涨20%,车费只需增加1%即可保住司机和Uber当前的收入水平。

Uber的一位发言人说:“只有让司机有钱赚,我们的平台才能正常运转。因此,未来几周,我们将持续监控油价走势,并会听取司机的意见。”Lyft和Uber均提到了自己与奖励平台GetUpside的合作,并表示此举也是向司机提供即时帮扶的一种方式。(根据相关合作,司机在参与活动的加油站每购买一加仑汽油都将获得GetUpside提供的25美分返现奖励,Lyft白金司机和黄金司机还能够获得更高奖励。)

但司机们明显心存顾虑。在活动组织平台Coworker.org上,一项旨在敦促打车应用程序帮助司机应对高油价问题的请愿活动已经收集到了5500多个签名。该请愿书要求Uber和Lyft减少抽佣,并向司机支付从接单开始到接到乘客这段路程的车费。

请愿书中写道:“全职开车已经无法维持生计,高油价正在逼我们退出网约车市场。我们需要涨价!”

实际上,在俄乌冲突推高油价之前,布朗已经在重新考虑是否还要继续开网约车。Lyft司机接单时,应用程序只会根据司机接到乘客之后产生的里程向司机支付费用。她说:“有时候为了接乘客,我需要空驶15分钟,但送客距离却只有一英里,这样每单我只能赚到2.5美元。”随着油价飙升,利润可能还会变得更薄。“如果油价涨到4.25美元,这行就没法干了。”布朗说。(财富中文网)

译者:梁宇

审校:夏林

Drivers for Uber and Lyft are feeling the pain at the pump as the war in Ukraine drives gas prices in the U.S. to an all-time high.

When Phillipe Jean, 45, filled up his tank to drive for Uber on March 6 night, the price per gallon was $4.19, an “unfathomable,” figure he said. Seven hours later, it jumped to $4.45. “I’m barely breaking even and I’m driving a Prius,” Jean said. The Easton, Pennsylvania-based driver, who began working on rideshare apps four years ago, said fuel costs eat up about 10% of his take-home pay on average. Today, it’s about 60%.

Gas prices have dramatically spiked across the country as Russia’s assault on Ukraine intensifies. On March 7, key U.S. lawmakers reached a deal to bar imports of Russian oil into the U.S., paving the way for a rapid crackdown on crude from the country. Anticipating such a move, oil had its biggest daily swing ever, with the price of a barrel of Brent crude surging to nearly $140.

The surge has trickled down to the pump at a “staggering” pace, according to Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis at Gasbuddy, an app that helps users find and save money on gas.

The U.S. national average price of gas is up more than 49 cents in the last week, the largest seven-day increase ever, including the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, GasBuddy data show. On March 7, the price surpassed its all-time high of $4.10 a gallon.

That’s making Uber and Lyft drivers consider whether a rideshare side-hustle is worth sustaining. In Phoenix, where a gallon of gas has soared to $4.16, Christina Brown, 46, spent $59 to fill up her Lincoln MKS sedan, almost double what she paid last summer. As a single parent, Brown supplements income from her job in operations at Delta Airlines Inc. by driving about at least 10 hours a week, and more if the apps offer promotions.

Those kinds of second thoughts pose a key challenge to a pandemic recovery for Lyft and Uber, which have struggled to find enough drivers to meet resurgent customer demand. The imbalance has resulted in higher wait times and fares for customers. The companies’ leaders have said supply has substantially improved since they first began doling out incentives and bonuses last year to lure drivers back on the road. But average weekly charges per mile during the week ending Feb. 27 were 18% higher than in January 2021, a period reflecting pre-driver shortage pricing, a sign that driver inventory hasn’t kept up post-Omicron, said YipitData analyst Peter Martin.

The unprecedented shock to prices at the pump could add more uncertainty to the equation just as many Covid restrictions are being lifted and more workers are heading back to the office. Earlier on March 7 Uber raised its profit outlook for the current quarter, citing increased demand for rides.

It’s unclear whether the higher gas prices are being passed on to consumers just yet. But Uber said that for every 20% increase from today’s average, rider fares would only need to rise 1% to keep drivers’ and, Uber’s cut from each ride, “consistent.”

“Our platform only works if it works for drivers, so we’ll continue to monitor gas prices and listen to drivers over the coming weeks,” an Uber spokesman said. Lyft and Uber both pointed to their partnerships with GetUpside as a way of providing immediate relief for drivers. The rewards platform offers 25 cents in cash back for every gallon of gas purchased at participating gas stations, with higher rewards available for Lyft’s Platinum and Gold drivers.

But drivers are clearly concerned. A campaign aimed at getting ride-hailing apps to help drivers with fuel costs has gathered more than 5,500 signatures on organizing platform Coworker.org. The petition calls for Uber and Lyft to take a smaller commission from fares and to pay drivers the mileage its takes to pick up a passenger from the point where the request was accepted to the destination.

“Can’t afford to keep driving full time. Gas prices are driving us out of the rideshare industry. We need a rate increase!,” the petition reads.

Even before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine drove up prices, Brown was reconsidering working for rideshare apps. On Lyft, when a driver accepts a ride, the app only pays for the mileage once the driver has reached a passenger. “Some folks are 15 minutes away from where I’m starting and only go a mile away. I’d only make $2.50 on those rides,” she said. With the spike in fuel costs, those profits could be whittled away even more. “If it hits $4.25 I’m not going to be able to afford to drive,” Brown said.

财富中文网所刊载内容之知识产权为财富媒体知识产权有限公司及/或相关权利人专属所有或持有。未经许可,禁止进行转载、摘编、复制及建立镜像等任何使用。
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