March 25 (Reuters) - Ride-hailing company Lyft ( LYFT )

said on Wednesday it will roll out a temporary driver-relief

program in the United States, as higher gasoline prices squeeze

earnings for gig workers.

A sharp rise in fuel costs, driven by energy supply

disruptions linked to the ongoing U.S.-Israeli conflict with

Iran, is hurting gig workers.

The national average price of gasoline has jumped more than

30% in recent weeks, hovering around $4 per gallon.

Lyft's ( LYFT ) 60-day program, which will run from March 27 through

May 26, offers cash-back incentives and fuel savings for drivers

using the Lyft Direct debit card at eligible gas stations.

Under the initiative, top-performing drivers will receive an

extra 2% cash back on fuel purchases, while mid-level drivers

will get an additional 1%, on top of existing rewards that range

from 1% to 10% based on driver status.

The combined savings, including offers from Lyft ( LYFT ) partners,

could reach as much as 94 cents per gallon for top-tier drivers,

based on national average fuel prices of $3.97 per gallon, the

company said.

Food delivery platform DoorDash ( DASH ) said on Monday it

was launching a similar program that would run through April 26.

(Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini

Ganguli)