LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — With gas prices around $4 a gallon in Kentucky, and even higher in some areas, DoorDash driver Kimberly Evans is working longer hours just to keep up.
"I'm having to work 7:30 in the morning until 7:30 in the evening with maybe two half hour breaks between," Evans said.
Evans said she used to work from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and had the rest of the day to herself, but that is no longer possible. She said the job once offered flexibility, something she leaned on after retiring from the military and losing her daughter unexpectedly in 2017.
"It really helps me to cope. It's, you know, being on my own in a car that I make my own schedule," Evans said.
But now, Evans said that freedom is fading as costs rise and pay does not keep up. She has worked for DoorDash for four years.
"I've had to use my credit card to put gas on just to be able to keep the money that I make from DoorDash to pay a bill. And I've never really had to do that," Evans said.
She said it is a struggle many are facing, with people working more and spending less time at home.
"I see my neighbors that they're not even getting to be together at home in the evening to have dinner anymore because they have to work so much on the side to get to make ends meet," Evans said.
With costs continuing to climb, Evans is looking for other ways to make money.
"I've thought about maybe even just for extra money like a side hustle of going through eBay or something and maybe just flipping items because I think it would be even better and easier just to do something like that," Evans said.
