[rectang]

Driving for Lyft/Uber in traffic jams is economically unrewarding, because the fee schedule is tilted towards per-distance-unit and the per-minute fees are a pittance. Raising the per-minute fees would incentivize drivers to take fares which are currently not worthwhile rather than wait for surge pricing.

However, drivers do not set the per-minute pricing -- that's the rideshare company's prerogative.