Last Updated: August 30, 2026 | Applies to: Uber Eats, foodpanda, Lalamove, and delivery partners across all platforms.
CPC Corporation, Taiwan has announced that from 12:00 a.m. on August 31, 2026, through 12:00 a.m. on September 6, gasoline and diesel prices will remain unchanged: 92 Unleaded at 30.5 NTD per liter, 95 Unleaded at 32.0 NTD, 98 Unleaded at 34.0 NTD, and Super Diesel at 29.3 NTD. For food delivery riders, this means they won’t have to immediately recalculate their cost sheets due to rising fuel prices this week. However, they still need to factor in the order patterns typical of the back-to-school season, the risks associated with rainy weather, wait times for orders, and insurance coverage—otherwise, what appears to be stable fuel prices could ultimately be offset by idle time, detours, and vehicle damage.
This article isn’t telling you to base your decision on whether to go online solely on gas prices. When it comes to delivery income, what you should really be looking at is your “net hourly income,” not the amount shown per order in the app. Stable gas prices only mean that one variable has temporarily leveled off; if delivery distances increase, peak-hour bonuses decrease, traffic around schools worsens, or afternoon thunderstorms extend pickup and delivery times, your net profit per tank of gas will still decline. Especially around September, commuter traffic, areas near schools, dinner demand in residential neighborhoods, and rainfall will all make the same route feel quite different from what it was during summer break.
Start with the most conservative estimate. If you mostly fill up your motorcycle with 95 unleaded, you can use 32.0 yuan per liter as your cost benchmark for this week. If your riding conditions—such as vehicle condition, load, frequent stops at red lights, and many short trips in the city—vary significantly, don’t estimate based on the manufacturer’s listed fuel economy; instead, use your own records from the last three times you filled up. A more practical calculation for delivery riders is to record two figures: “this week’s fuel cost ÷ number of orders completed this week” and “this week’s fuel cost ÷ number of hours online this week.” The former shows the fuel cost per order, while the latter reflects your online efficiency; you should consider both to avoid being skewed by a single day with a high volume of orders or a single long-distance trip.
| Items to Check This Week | Suggestions on How to Memorize | Key Considerations |
|---|---|---|
| Gas money | Record the cost as 32.0 yuan for 95 unleaded gasoline or your actual fuel type. | Has the cost of gas per trip gone up compared to last week? |
| Waiting time | Record the time you went online and the time the first order was placed. | When traffic increases at the start of the school year, sitting in traffic can directly eat into your hourly wage. |
| Delivery Time | A record of waiting for food, traffic jams, searching for addresses, and climbing stairs. | The delivery service law specifies a base pay, but you still need to verify the total earnings yourself. |
| Insurance and Vehicle Condition | Check that your mandatory insurance is valid, as well as your brakes, tire pressure, lights, and phone mount. | Don't trade safety for income just to drive an extra hour. |
The Ministry of Labor’s guidelines on compensation and rights remind delivery riders that there is a minimum guaranteed base pay for each order, and that even when multiple orders are combined, the compensation for each individual order must still be checked separately. This is helpful for delivery riders because it allows you to distinguish between the “base pay provided by the platform” and the “fuel costs and time spent” on your end. However, it’s important to note that the law only guarantees a minimum base pay threshold; it does not guarantee a specific hourly earnings amount, nor does it guarantee that there will be enough orders in every area or during every time slot. In practice, even if the order price in a certain area seems reasonable, if you have to wait 15 minutes just to get a short delivery, your net hourly wage may still be low.
Insurance shouldn’t be treated merely as a routine reminder. The Insurance Bureau of the Financial Supervisory Commission reminds motorcycle riders to purchase and maintain continuous coverage under mandatory automobile liability insurance; information on mandatory automobile liability insurance also lists basic coverage such as medical expenses for injuries, disability benefits, and death benefits. This does not mean that all risks faced by delivery riders are fully covered, as compulsory insurance primarily provides basic coverage for traffic accidents. It does not equate to comprehensive coverage for delivery work, nor does it guarantee that damages to your own vehicle, property damage to third parties, business interruption, or gaps in medical income will be fully covered. Before starting a delivery job, you should at least know the expiration date of your compulsory insurance, the condition of your motorcycle, and the scope of coverage provided by the platform.
Check the weather forecast and rain conditions five minutes before heading out. The Central Weather Bureau provides information on county and city weather, town and township forecasts, radar echoes, rainfall data, and weather warnings and alerts. In practice, delivery riders shouldn’t assume that “it’s always profitable when it rains”; instead, they should assess whether the risks are worth taking. Light rain may increase demand for food delivery, but short bursts of heavy rain, flooded roads, poor visibility, and longer braking distances can all turn an order that seems high-paying into a high-risk route. When gas prices remain stable, the real cost drivers are often rain gear, brake pads, tire wear, and the risk of accidents.
A more practical approach to driving this week is to first divide the area into three categories: commercial districts that are familiar and have convenient parking; school or office areas with a steady volume of orders but prone to traffic jams; and residential areas that are farther away but may result in an empty return trip. Around the start of the school year, don’t rush to take every high-paying order—especially long-distance cross-district orders. Always consider whether you’ll have another order on the way back. If an order offers a slightly higher fare but forces you to leave a high-demand area and drive three kilometers empty on the return trip, the combined cost of gas and time might not be worth it.
If you already kept a log last week, you can do a quick comparison today: how many orders you completed per hour, average earnings per order, average fuel cost per order, actual idle time, and whether your car made any unusual noises or had low tire pressure. If you haven’t kept a log yet, I recommend starting this week—don’t wait until the end of the month to try to remember everything. Just record at least three columns: time online, amount spent on gas, and number of orders completed; if you have the time, add details like weather, area, platform, and whether you received any task bonuses.
For further reading, you can start by checking out 8/24: Gas prices remained unchanged, so delivery drivers will have to recalculate their fuel costs for this week., understand the logic behind tracking gas expenses; then take a look at Actual Hourly Wages and Hidden Costs in Food Delivery...factoring in maintenance, tires, motor oil, and mobile data. If there are afternoon showers this week, combined with Safety Checklist for Delivery Rides in the Rain; For the insurance section, please refer to How to Understand Delivery Driver Insurance...and avoid assuming that the coverage is sufficient just by looking at the platform's webpage.
Frequently Asked Questions: Were gas prices really not adjusted from August 31 to September 6?
According to an announcement by CPC Corporation, Taiwan, dated August 29, 2026, gasoline and diesel prices will remain unchanged from 12:00 a.m. on August 31 through 12:00 a.m. on September 6. Actual retail prices are subject to the announcements at individual retail locations.
FAQ: Should delivery drivers use 92 or 95 to estimate fuel costs?
Use the actual type of fuel you put in. For many motorcycles, using 95 unleaded as a reference is a good estimate, but don’t apply someone else’s formula based on their vehicle’s condition. The most accurate method is to calculate it based on your own fuel receipts, mileage, and the number of completed orders.
Frequently Asked Questions: Gas Prices Haven’t Gone Up, So Why Do We Need to Recalculate Costs?
That’s because fuel costs are just one of the expenses. Back-to-school traffic, waiting for orders, detours, rainy-day gear, and tire and brake wear can all reduce the amount of effective time spent on orders for the same amount of money spent on gas.
Frequently Asked Questions: Can the base pay under the Special Law on Food Delivery Offset the risk of fuel costs?
That’s not the right way to look at it. The base pay is a minimum guarantee per order; fuel, maintenance, insurance, and downtime are still the delivery driver’s own operating costs, so the final assessment should be based on net income.
FAQ: Should I go out when the pay rate is better on rainy days?
Consider road conditions and your equipment—don’t just focus on the higher fare. If radar echoes indicate heavy rain in the short term, standing water on the road, or poor visibility, you should factor in the risk of accidents and the cost of vehicle damage, even if the fare per ride is higher.
FAQ: I only want to work part-time two or three nights this week. How should I schedule that?
Prioritize areas you're familiar with and the dinner shift, when demand is steady—don't take on too much right from the start. After finishing your shift, calculate your net hourly wage based on the number of orders completed, gas costs, and actual time spent online, then decide whether to add more shifts next week.
Source:References for this article CPC Corporation, Taiwan: Fuel Price Announcement, August 29, 2026,Ministry of Economic Affairs Oil Price Information Management and Analysis System,Ministry of Labor Statement on Delivery Workers' Compensation and Rights,Reminder from the Insurance Bureau of the Financial Supervisory Commission Regarding Compulsory Automobile Liability Insurance,Information on Mandatory Automobile Liability Insurance與 Weather Information from the Central Weather BureauThe
Delivery Reminder:For today, start by jotting down gas prices, your car’s condition, insurance expiration dates, and the areas you frequently drive in on a single memo. You don’t need to create complicated spreadsheets every day, but you should at least know how much you actually earn per hour so you don’t get misled by the surface unit price. This article is for general informational purposes only. Platform rules, gas prices, insurance rates, and weather conditions are subject to change; please refer to the latest official announcements and your individual circumstances.