As gas prices rapidly rise across the D.C. region and country, some drivers are changing their plans, opting to take public transportation and avoid nonessential long drives.
According to , average gas prices in D.C. this week hit the $4 threshold for the first time since August 2022. Prices have increased 91 cents since the U.S. and Israel-Iran war began on Feb. 28.
The national average per one gallon of regular gas reached $3.91 on Friday, AAA said.
A line formed at one Shell station along Rockville Pike on Friday afternoon. The price per gallon was listed as $3.94. Nearby stations had higher prices.
Wil Del Pilar, for one, said he has started taking Metro almost daily and is avoiding long trips.
鈥淚f I鈥檓 driving less, I鈥檓 not going out,鈥� Del Pilar said. 鈥淚鈥檓 not going to drive to a restaurant in Frederick that maybe I wanted to go to, or take these longer trips and spend money on things like that.鈥�
Manreet Cheema has been traveling for work and said she hadn鈥檛 felt the impact of the rise in gas prices until Friday. It typically costs her between $40 and $45 to fill up, but most recently it was nearly $60.
鈥淚t鈥檚 gone up quite a bit,鈥� Cheema said. 鈥淔or that reason, I was just thinking that I should probably manage and figure out how to recuperate.鈥�
The rise in gas prices comes as the U.S. and Israel wage war with Iran. Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at , previously told WTOP the surge is the consequence of 鈥渢he effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.鈥�
Candice Marcus said she can鈥檛 drive less, but she鈥檚 considering dining out less frequently.
鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 that long ago that it was like this, so I鈥檓 kind of feeling like we鈥檙e back at that time again,鈥� Marcus said.
Crystal, meanwhile, said she fills her car with high octane gas, which is more costly, and 鈥渋t actually seems like I鈥檓 filling up a little bit more, so that鈥檚 unfortunate.鈥�
鈥淵ou just have to buy it,鈥� she said. 鈥淛ust like you鈥檝e got to buy food. Buy a little less food, but you need the gas to get around.鈥�
One driver who asked not to be named called the surge in prices 鈥減retty insane,鈥� and is considering plans to carpool with a friend.
But Moji, who said he was born in Iran but has lived in the U.S. for decades, has a different perspective.
鈥淔or me to be inconvenienced to pay, obviously, a little more, as we’re all paying, to hopefully get rid of an evil, as an Iranian, I’m forever grateful for it,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 understand we’re kind of isolated in America from a lot of things. No one wants to pay more for gas prices. But I think it is a small price to pay for trying to help people that desperately need someone’s help.鈥�
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