"Pain at the Pump,"-Alternative Commuting
Tuesday, May 20, 2008SUSIE GHARIB: The average price of self-serve regular gasoline is now at a record $3.80 a gallon according to AAA. But in 15 metropolitan areas, gas prices have jumped to over $4 a gallon. Today, the drive smarter campaign was launched by 16 public and private sector partners. Its goal is to help consumers lower their gasoline costs through vehicle upkeep and smarter driving. Tonight, as we kick off our series "Pain at the Pump," Jeff Yastine looks at how higher prices are motivating drivers to shift gears when it comes to commuting.
JEFF YASTINE, NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT CORRESPONDENT: Drive anywhere, on any street and the signs are there, staring you in the face: $3.77, $3.79, $4.03 a gallon. The rising price of gasoline is forcing more of us to rethink our driving options. Runar Polluson and Catherine Scantlan, colleagues at the VA hospital in Miami, both work commutes of more than 80 miles a day.
RUNAR POLLUSON, COMMUTER: Once I got to where I was having to fill the gas tank more than once a week and the cost of the gas itself had gone up more than $1 in probably a three to four week period that I was driving. It was just not affordable anymore.
CATHERINE SCANTLAN, COMMUTER: I did the math when gas was $3 a gallon, and that would be about $420 a month, because I live in Boynton Beach and so while it's a four or five hour-a-day commute from here to Boynton Beach, by the time I get to work, it's still a savings of $420.
YASTINE: Ranar and Catherine, like a growing numbers of Americans, now use mass transit to get to jobs in the city from their homes in the suburbs. The result is packed stations and packed trains during rush hour. South Florida's passenger rail system is setting monthly ridership records, after seeing years of only light use. Nationally, train and bus networks are reporting similar trends as consumers react to high fuel costs. Bruce Powers has a 100 mile roundtrip commute. He's given up driving to work all together, using his bicycle to get to and from the train station. Was there one moment where you're like, I got to - I just can't do this anymore?
BRUCE POWERS, COMMUTER: Yeahm when my gas bill was almost $800 for the month, just going to work.
YASTINE: Mass transit executives, like Joe Giulietti of the south Florida regional transportation authority, expect to maintain their increased ridership.
JOE GIULIETTI, EXEC. DIRECTOR, SOUTH FLORIDA REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY: I'd rather say that gas has been the catalyst to get people to explore other options and when they come over to go and try this option, they actually found it was a convenient way to go and move through the counties. They're able to read their newspapers. They're able to enjoy a more relaxed commute. So the last time gas prices went down, we did not lose any ridership. In fact, we kept growing.
YASTINE: For many, mass transit is not an option. But trading in their gas-guzzling pickup truck or SUV is. Alice Bernard saw the writing on the gas pump last year and bought a Prius hybrid. With two kids and a busy schedule, she and her husband decided to trade in their roomier, but gas hungry minivan.
ALICE BERNARD, MOTORIST: We figure that we have, just in the rising price of gas and the difference in the mileage that we've gotten in the last year, we've saved $1,500 in the difference of what we would've spent in gas last year, as compared to what we spent and for us, that equates to four car payments.
YASTINE: The big question is what will happen when gas prices begin to stabilize? Transportation expert Robert Poole says a three-year congressional study of California drivers uncovered a surprising trend.
ROBERT POOLE, DIR. TRANSPORTATION STUDIES, REASON FOUNDATION: They found that driving behavior changed only a fraction of 1 percent in terms of total vehicle miles traveled. But just in the three-year period, they did see some significant changes in people's decisions on what kind of cars to buy. They switched from SUVs and big pickup trucks in a significant, like 5 percent sort of fashion, to smaller vehicles with better fuel economy.
YASTINE: Poole says it's a trend that's likely to continue as drivers and commuters adjust to the harsh realities of soaring gasoline prices. Jeff Yastine, NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT, Miami.
