 |
South Carolina State University senior Jamal Bowman smiled and laughed slightly as he put air in the tires of his Nissan Maxima Monday afternoon at the Sunoco gasoline station on the U.S. 21 Bypass.
Trying to keep a sense of humor can be challenging for Bowman these days as he juggles his budget to help pay for school, visit his family in Bishopville and fill his gas tank for his pizza delivery job.
"The price is hard on me with our deliveries going here and there and gas prices being as high as they are. It makes the tip money kind of obsolete," Bowman said Monday. "The tip money goes straight to the gas tank."
Using his own vehicle for deliveries, Bowman said he drives about 600 miles on a weekly basis.
It is all about trimming back driving time and choosing when to travel, Bowman said. He has heard driving at night does not burn as much gas due to the cooler temperatures.
He's had to "calm down" his travels to Bishopville to visit family.
"I go about every two weeks," he said. "I used to go every weekend."
He questions why prices have continued to rise over the past few months.
"Who would have thought it would have went down to about $2 even ... just before we started talking about this election and then right after it has come up to about $3?" Bowman asked. "It all boils down to finding an alternate resource so we don't have to diminish all the oil supply that we do have. Or to make cars more efficient."
Aghast at
high prices
Among Orangeburg-area gas stations surveyed by The T&D, the least expensive regular unleaded, self-serve gasoline sold for $2.769 a gallon at the Murphy's USA gasoline station on North Road near Wal-Mart.
Gasoline prices averaged $2.83 a gallon for regular unleaded, self-serve at the stations surveyed. That's 40 cents higher than average price in a T&D survey taken at the end of March.
Gasoline prices hit a two-year low in January before beginning a steady increase over the last four months.
Prices are the highest seen locally since early Sept. 2005, immediately in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Orangeburg had gasoline gas prices ranging anywhere from $2.999 to $3.399 a gallon for regular unleaded then.
James Whitesides, who was filling up his Chevrolet Venture at the Sunoco, said there's little individuals can do about rising gas prices. Whitesides says the rising prices are a part of the global economy.
"I think it is because big business is more important to us, so we can have all China's business. High gas prices are because of world trade," Whitesides said, noting that gas prices have kept him from taking extended trips to Folly Beach.
It is a one-day rather than a three-day trip, Whitesides said.
"They (prices) make you watch your pennies a little bit," he said. "You have to go to work. You learn to live below your means and not beyond your means. This is the way I have made it through life."
Deaundria Fredrick, a senior at Denmark Tech, likes her little blue Dodge Neon which she purchased after trading in her truck.
The Neon has helped improve her gas mileage. Each fill up of her truck took $40. The Neon consumes about $25.
"They (prices) are too high," she said, noting that prices have pretty much limited her travel.
And with the Memorial Day travel weekend approaching and gas prices expected to rise even further before then, she says work and home is where she will most likely stay.
Danielle Gordon used one word to describe the prices: "awful."
"Nobody knows why they are going up," she said. "I don't visit my pa. I used to go visit him every other weekend. He lives in Laurens."
Gordon says her travels are limited to "work and home."
On Monday, Gordon was driving an Oldsmobile Bravada, a friend's car. She longed for her Saturn.
"This thing guzzles it," she said, referring to the Bravada. "My Saturn, you can fill that up and ride on it for a couple of days before you have to fill up on it again."
A look
elsewhere
According to www.southcarolinagasprices.com -- which allows motorists to post and view recent retail gasoline prices in their region -- the least expensive regular unleaded, self-serve gasoline in the state sold for $2.65 at a RaceWay in Boiling Springs Monday morning. The most expensive gasoline sold for $2.99 at an Exxon in Greenville.
Statewide, according to the same Web site, gasoline prices are up about 11 cents from a month ago and up 14 cents from a year ago.
South Carolina gas prices are averaging about $2.82 a gallon, among the lowest in the nation.
An Oil Price Information Service report says there are many reasons for the lower gasoline prices in South Carolina, one being that nearly all the gas comes from the nearby Gulf Coast, helping to reduce transportation costs. Also, low taxes and little ethanol also helps lower costs.
Gas prices are not expected to get any better in the near future.
Crude oil prices have risen recently due to incidents at refineries in Europe and the U.S., raising concerns gasoline might run short this summer.
Experts say U.S. stockpiles of gasoline are at their lowest level in 16 years. As a result, prices in the area may rise to well over $3 a gallon for regular unleaded by the end of the summer.
Despite Orangeburg prices reaching near-record levels, things could be a lot worse.
Nationally, gasoline prices are up 18 cents from a year ago to about $3.10 a gallon. The OPIS reports that in Chicago, gasoline prices were averaging about $3.33 a gallon.
The type of gasoline used in the Windy City is reformulated with about 10 percent ethanol. Also, high state and local taxes combined with the speciality blend help keep prices elevated.
In San Francisco, gasoline was averaging $3.62 a gallon due to reformulated gasoline, with ethanol having to be shipped from the Midwest. High taxes, little competition and a lack of imports all help keep prices there high. High land values also lead to higher costs for stations that must be recouped.
T&D Staff Writer Gene Zaleski can be reached by e-mail at gzaleski@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5551. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.
Regular unleaded, self-serve gasoline prices at selected Orangeburg stations Monday afternoon:
* Murphy U.S.A., North Road Plaza in front of Wal-Mart: $2.769
* Hot Spot, John C. Calhoun Drive: $2.799
* Li'l Cricket Valero on U.S. 601: $2.799
* Dodges Store, U.S. 301 and Cannon Bridge Road: $2.799
* Sunoco A Plus, U.S. 21 and U.S. 21 Bypass: $2.799
* Gaz-bah Exxon, Chestnut Street and Ellis Street: $2.799
* Horizon E-Z Shop, Old St. Matthews Road: $2.819
* Henry's SOC, U.S. 301/John C. Calhoun Drive: $2.839
* BP Quick Pantry, Magnolia Street and U.S. 178: $2.859
* College Corner All American Gas, corner of Magnolia Street and S.C. Highway 33: $2.859
* Sunoco Quick Pantry, Boulevard Street and Carolina Avenue: $2.859
* Shell Food Mart, Boulevard Street and St. Matthews Road: $2.859
* 4-Way Stop, Magnolia Street and U.S. 178: $2.859
* Saimart Exxon, Whittaker Parkway near U.S 21 and U.S. 33: $2.859
* Shell Quick Pantry, U.S. 301 and Broughton Street: $2.859
* Citgo Fast Mart, U.S. 601 and Old St. Matthews Road: $2.879
* Exxon, Charleston Highway: $2.899
* Shell Quick Pantry, at the intersection of Chestnut and Broughton Street:
$2.899
* Citgo, Charleston Highway: $2.899
Gas-saving tips
Car Care Council experts say there are some things motorists can do to help improve fuel economy.
These include:
* Check your vehicle gas cap. About 17 percent of the vehicles on the road have gas caps that are either damaged, loose or are missing altogether, causing 147 million gallons of gas to evaporate every year.
* Make sure tires are inflated properly.
* Replace spark plugs regularly. A dirty spark plug causes misfiring, which wastes fuel.
* Replacing a clogged air filter can improve gas mileage by as much as 10 percent, saving about 15 cents a gallon.
* Aggressive driving can lower gas mileage by as much as 22 percent on the highway and five percent on city streets.
* Sitting idle gets zero miles per gallon. Letting the vehicle warm up for one to two minutes is sufficient.
* Gas mileage decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 mph.