Fort Worth residents consider options to save amid growing concern of rising gas prices
The price of gas per gallon is averaging around $4.02 in Fort Worth, with the national average hovering around $4.33 as of Sunday, according to AAA.
For most Texans, who have experienced gas prices in the $2.50 range in the past year, the jump is concerning and has many considering other options to save.
Chris Dietersich, a native of the Fort Worth area, said it’s something most commuters will have to deal with whether they like it or not.
“There’s not much I can do about it. I just have to suffer through it. I mean, you got to have gas to get to work and you got to work to be able to pay for gas,” Dietersich said.
He added that he recently changed jobs to work closer to home and is able to save gas in his work truck; for local trips, he and his girlfriend use her smaller car which is more fuel efficient.
“I used to drive from Burleson up to north Fort Worth and now I’m just driving from Burleson to Mansfield,” Dietersich said. “(My girlfriend and I) already are talking about how there’s going to be a lot more eating at the house instead of going to eat, not really as much going out and having fun, but got to find things at home that are entertaining.”
Just a few pumps down, Sarah Pederson, who said she’s lived in Fort Worth for the past two years, echoed similar sentiments, after spending over $90 to fill her tank.
“I love my car, but I’m thinking about trading it in for something that gets better mileage. I think I’m also going to step up my Zoom meetings for work so there’s less travel, things like that,” Pederson said. “If Fort Worth had a good intercity public transit system, which it clearly does not, like other cities like Boulder, Colorado, then I would totally be taking the bus, I mean thousands of people would.”
Pederson noted she also finds herself staying at home more often than going out with friends and eating out.
“I mean, that’s a privilege for that to be the biggest sacrifice that I have to make,” Pederson said. “There’s a humanitarian crisis happening in another country. … Gas prices are global, they’re not just local. … It affects us globally as a regulated market. I think a lot of people are prepared to be making this sacrifice.”
Pederson was referring to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has pushed oil prices to an 11-year high.
“The Russian invasion of Ukraine has sparked high level concern that oil production could eventually be stifled, or even sanctioned, from the world’s second largest oil producer, leading to less supply as demand grows,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, in a statement last week. “That possibility has pushed up the national average price of gasoline considerably … and the situation could worsen at any time, keeping gas prices elevated for the foreseeable future.”
And unfortunately for drivers, they should expect prices to continue rising.
“In addition to the unstable situation with the Russian invasion, we’re also entering the time of year that seasonality pushes gasoline prices up by anywhere from 25 to 75 cents by Memorial Day. It’s simply looking like a perfect storm for motorists at the pump, with little to no relief anytime soon,” De Haan said.
Star-Telegram Reporter Dalia Faheid contributed to this report.
This story was originally published March 12, 2022 at 1:16 PM.
