With the U.S. war in Iran in its second month and the two countries reportedly accepting a two-week ceasefire on Tuesday night, UW-Oshkosh commuter students say they are tired of paying more at the gas pump.
“I wish gas companies, and our nation’s leaders would find different solutions to inflation and overseas conflicts that would not involve gas prices to go up,” UWO commuter student Sarah Williamsen said.
According to CBS News, with the Strait of Hormuz closed off, it is interfering with a key shipping route for oil and natural gas, causing the price of oil to be over $100 per barrel.
The news agency also said the U.S. is seeing a 16% increase in its national average for gas prices around $3.48 a gallon with diesel up 23.61% at $4.66 a gallon.
CBS News reported that the cost of oil makes up 60% of the price of gas, which means many states will see an increase of 20 to 50 cents over the next week.
CBS News said the country could see high gas prices until fall with the summer travel season creating a high demand even if oil production and distribution resumes soon.
UWO student Kayla Magdanz said she has already seen an increase in the price of gas at the pump.
“Normally in a month I would spend $200 filling my tank with normal gas prices,” she said. “Now, since the prices have risen, I am spending around $250 a month.”
Being a commuter student, Magdanz said she tries to be mindful with how much she is driving.
“I drive about 17 miles to and from school,” she said. “If a class is cancelled and I still have to be on campus later, I will stay even if I have to wait five hours till my other event. It would be nice to go home and relax for a few hours, but it’s not worth my gas.”
Williamsen said school plays a big factor in how much she is paying at the pump.
“I am spending between $40 to $45 a week on gas,” she said. “Roughly half of that is for commuting to and from college. Normally, I can fill the tank with $30 and then do a $10 to $15 refill later in the week. Over the last few weeks, I’m a quarter tank short when I put $30 in.”
UWO student Elli Clemence said she travels back and forth between school and her hometown of New Berlin for her job.
“This semester I will be going home a lot, especially with my job, which makes me travel every other weekend,” she said. “From school to my job it’s 84 miles. When I last came home the gas prices had gone up. The last time I got gas at the Kwik Trip it was $3.99 and it is now $5.”
With the war in the Middle East, Williamsen said she is already looking ahead at ways to save on her gas usage.
“I will only be taking one class instead of two in the fall,” she said. “I will only have to drive to school two to three times a week when the price of gas goes up during the Thanksgiving and Christmas rush.”
Williamsen said with prices showing no signs of dropping, she takes advantage of money saving opportunities while filling up her tank.
“One of the big ways I am saving gas money is that I use my fuel points from the Pick ‘n Save [and] BP program,” she said. “I am driving so much that my mom lets me use her points too.”
