Colorado Drivers Feel Economic Squeeze As Gas Nears $4.50 Per Gallon

By Tamara Chuang | The Colorado Sun

Before Feb. 28, Kareem Sawadogo paid about $40 to fill up his tank. Now, it’s over $65, said Sawadogo, a driver for both Lyft and Uber.

And if he’s driving full time, which is 40 to 60 hours a week, he must fill up daily. Combine the higher cost of gas with the rising prices of auto insurance and car maintenance, and it seems cheaper to just park his car. 

“If you do the math, 30 times seven, that extra is a lot of money,” said Sawadogo, who’s taken on another job — organizing for the Colorado Independent Drivers United, which estimates there are 41,000 ridesharing drivers in the state. “I cannot afford to drive right now.”

Sawadogo has a number of other issues with ridesharing companies. But one thing in common with businesses owners and labor union leaders during a roundtable Monday was feeling a little helpless in dealing with the financial pain to a worker’s pocketbook. Gas prices, nearing $4.50 a gallon average in Colorado, are much more difficult to absorb when one’s income is well below the state’s median household income of about $95,000.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT THE COLORADO SUN