People occupying different positions in Missouri’s transportation industry offer varied views on the proposed gasoline tax increase that will appear on Tuesday’s ballot.
Some drivers for ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft voice concerns about the increased fuel tax cutting into their earnings. Meanwhile, owners of local cab and shuttle companies say they’re willing to pay more in taxes to preserve roads and protect their fleets.
Missouri’s Proposition D would gradually increase the state’s gas tax to 27 cents per gallon over four years, up from the current 17 cents per gallon. The tax would generate at least $288 million per year to fund state law enforcement and $123 million annually for local road construction and maintenance, according to the ballot language.
But drivers for Uber and Lyft are worried about how the passage of the proposition would affect their budgets. Some say they would give up their ride-hailing jobs due to higher fuel costs.
Elisa Joy Torres, an Uber and Lyft driver in Columbia and St. Louis, said she has heard of other drivers quitting due to the rising cost of gas. “They quit driving because they felt that gas is too expensive right now,” Torres said. “So if it were raised … 10 cents, I know a lot of people would quit.”
Torres said she planned to vote against the measure.
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