Rising gas prices put pressure on Lafayette rideshare drivers, customers

LAFAYETTE, La. (Acadiana News First) - Gas prices are climbing in Lafayette, putting added pressure on businesses that depend on driving to make a living.

The average price for a gallon of regular gas in Lafayette reached $3.99, up 12 cents from $3.87 one week ago.

For Milson Washington, a driver for local rideshare company Needa Ride Transportation, the increase is hard to ignore.

“I wanted to say that I was dreaming because when I seen that regular prices was up to $3.99 a gallon, I was like, ‘Nah, this cannot be.’”

Washington says higher fuel costs can affect both drivers and the customers they serve, especially when rides become more expensive.

“What would be a $15 ride is now a $25 ride. People like, ‘Oh, I never paid this before, and I’ll just find something else.’ And we’re trying to keep prices as low as possible to cater to the community, but also where we’re pretty much not starving ourselves out,” Washington said.

Washington says he also hears from customers who notice significant differences in what they pay for similar rides at different times.

“When customers get in the car and they speak about the transportation service, especially Lyft or Uber, they explain how they pay one price to get to work and then a higher price to get back from work,” Washington said.

The increase is not limited to Lafayette. Louisiana’s average price for a gallon of gas reached $3.98, up 13 cents from one week ago and five cents from the previous day. The national average stood at $4.44, compared with $4.28 one week earlier.

AAA Louisiana spokesman Don Redman says the price of crude oil is a major factor behind the increase.

“It has everything to do with the price of crude, which is an excess of $100 a barrel, as we speak. That’s what’s driving those prices up, and I think that until the conflict with Iran is resolved, that we will be looking at these higher prices as we get into the fall months in Louisiana and beyond,” Redman said.

Redman also points to disruptions to Russia’s energy industry as another factor affecting the global oil market.

“Ukraine has been launching a series of drone attacks on energy production in Russia. You’re starting to see gas lines in Russia, as a matter of fact, as the drones hit refineries and oil production facilities in that country.”

While those conflicts are happening thousands of miles away, Washington says the effects are being felt by people in his own community.

“I’m in that community with elderly people that are on fixed income and…we can’t afford this,” Washington said.