Uber drivers and their customers have said that the increase in fuel prices pose concerns for e-hailing as drivers are spending more on fuel, and thus earning less overall. This comes after the increase in petrol and diesel prices at the start of April 2026.
The current price of petrol stands at R22.55 per litre, and diesel at R28.31 per litre in Stellenbosch. With this increase comes the subsequent price increase for customers using e-hailing services.
Ayanda van Heerden, a PPE student at Stellenbosch University (SU) who has used e-hailing services such as Uber to get to campus, reported that Ubers have become more expensive. Van Heerden, however, stated that he believed the impact of the fuel prices had “mainly been pushed onto the drivers”.
Xhanti, an Uber driver in Stellenbosch, who wished to be referred to only by his first name, confirmed this. He said that even though fuel prices had gone up and customers were paying more per trip, the percentage of the trip fees that Uber takes has remained consistent. “You have used the fuel and you have the car service maintenance for the cars. It is a lot of things. Uber must be better,” he said.
Tafadza, an Uber Eats driver, who also wished to be referred to only by his first name, said now that fuel prices had increased, he spends about R200 a day on petrol, but only makes approximately R400 per day as a delivery driver in Stellenbosch. “Fuel is very expensive. I am making less money,” he said.
According to Xhanti, once you have your driver’s license and professional driving permit (PDP), it is easy enough to get work on the Uber app to support your family. The problem comes when Uber takes large amounts of the total trip fare.
According to an article written by Uber’s public policy team in January 2026 on Uber Under the Hood, titled “Understanding Uber’s Share of Driver Earnings”, Uber takes an estimated 21% of customer payments as profit after taxes and insurance have been deducted.
For Xhanti, the estimated remaining 40% is often not enough. “Uber takes the biggest part of the commission, so it seems like you are losing,” he said. “If I drive from here to Cape Town, Uber must charge customers R850, but give me only R400. That is only fuel. It’s nothing.”
Ultimately, Xhanti said the solution is not Uber raising trip fares for customers, but rather taking less commission from drivers. According to the Under the Hood article, Uber stated that: “Even as prices have gone up, the portion going to Uber has remained relatively flat — and in recent quarters has been trending slightly down.”
The article also emphasised that payments are not only going to the company and the driver, but that there are other costs, such as taxes and insurance. “After the pandemic, driver shortages and widespread inflation drove prices on Uber up globally. Third-party taxes and fees (like sales tax, city fees, and airport fees) have increased more than 40% in the last three years as well,” the article stated.
SMF News reached out to Uber multiple times over a week but they did not respond for comment in time for publication.