Amazon.com Inc.

has joined other companies in adding fuel surcharges as they try to deal with high

gas prices

due to the war in

Iran

.

The e-commerce giant last week said it would apply a 3.5 per cent surcharge starting April 17 on those using the Fulfillment by Amazon program, which allows third-party sellers to use its warehouses and shipping infrastructure. Similar charges take effect on May 2 for businesses using Amazon’s “multi-channel fulfilment” program.

Canada Post Corp. has also announced plans for higher fuel surcharges.

The charges

, which are updated weekly, are currently 39 per cent for domestic services and 22.75 per cent for parcels going to the United States or shipped internationally.

FedEx Corp., United Postal Service Inc. and Purolator Inc. have all increased their fuel surcharges as well, ranging from 34.5 per cent to 44.5 per cent for domestic services.

The average price for a litre of gas reached more than $1.79 on Monday,

according to the Canadian Automobile Association

, up from $1.72 a week ago and $1.44 a month ago, as Iran has effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz, one of the busiest waterways to transport oil.

Fuel-related charges have also crept into flight bookings.

Last week, WestJet Airlines Inc. announced it was adding a temporary surcharge of $60 to reflect high fuel prices, Air Canada is

adding a $50 fuel surcharge

for flights through Air Canada Vacations beginning April 6 and Porter Airlines Inc. added a temporary fuel surcharge for those redeeming points for a flight.

Transat A.T. Inc. was the first major Canadian airline to add a surcharge, though it is only applied on flights to Europe.

But delivery and rideshare apps have taken a different approach to handling the high cost of fuel.

Uber Technologies Inc. and

Lyft Inc.

have announced relief to drivers in the form of more cash back when using their cards for fuel.

DoorDash Inc., meanwhile, is giving drivers a

maximum of $36 per week

to offset gas prices, though the company said costs would not be passed down to customers.

With files from National Post.

• Email: bcousins@postmedia.com

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