DoorDash will extend its Gas Rewards program into the summer in order to help Dashers continue working amid rising gas prices. 

The Gas Rewards program, introduced for Dashers in March, will be extended through August in order to help workers continue delivering despite high gas prices across the country, DoorDash said in an April 29 press release. Through the program, Dashers can earn 10% cash back on what they spend at the gas pump. Since the program began, Dashers have used their DasherDirect cards for cash back in more than 8 million transactions at U.S. gas stations.

“Going to the gas station has become a stressful part of my week,” Michelle Ronca; a Dasher from Palm Springs, Calif.; told Flexible Work News “But over the past month, with 10% cashback on gas through my DasherDirect card, the trip has become significantly less daunting. Not only do I keep more of my earnings from dashing, but I’m also saving on costs related to other parts of my daily life, like driving to work or picking up groceries. At the end of the day, this means I have more money in my pocket to spend on the things that matter to me.”

Gas prices across the country have been on the rise since earlier this year, in part due to both inflation as well as sanctions placed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. 

As of April 29, the average cost of a gallon of regular gas in California was $5.706, more than a dollar increase from $4.010 a year ago, a report from AAA said. Prices in some counties, such as Humboldt and Mono, have surpassed $6. 

The national average gas price was $4.159 per gallon on that date.

It takes the average unemployed American approximately 13 weeks to find a new job; a report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed, quoted in the DoorDash release. Qualifying Dashers, however, can start working within a day of signing up; and more than half of the Dashers who started working in 2021 completed their first delivery within one week of signing up.