At almost $4.00 per gallon of regular fuel, some motorists in East Lansing are finding themselves using other means of transport to get where they need to go. Taking the bus, riding a bike and walking to classes and to work are all viable options while the cost of fuel continues to climb.
Some, however, need to drive. Criminal justice senior Raghavi Ravi said that while she is going through gas quickly, driving her car is easier with her schedule. Ravi regularly drives from her home in Chandler Crossings to an internship in Lansing and also to her job at Sparty’s on campus. The higher prices affect how often she needs to work and what extra purchases she makes.
“I’ve been picking up more shifts, and not spending as much,” Ravi said.
She uses her vehicle often now, but doesn’t plan to drive next year because she is moving closer to campus, and living off campus is expensive enough.
“Gas prices don’t help.” Ravi said.
Biomedical laboratory science junior Ciana Hodges said she has no choice but to drive her car because she commutes to classes and work from Jackson, Mich.
“Depending on how high prices are, $50 gets me just a tank or a tank and a half,” Hodges said.
She also said she is lucky her mother helps her with gas costs, but she has to make sure the hours she is scheduled to work at the MSU Main Library are worth driving 45 minutes each way.
Still, Hodges said she is saving more money by living at home and commuting than by living in East Lansing.
The Marathon gas station on Grand River Avenue and Hagadorn Road hasn’t had a decrease in the number of people buying gas, but the summer is different, attendant Alex O’Donald said. He said it’s hard to tell if students aren’t coming in to buy gas as often because the student population is so much lower in the summer, but he doesn’t think prices are really stopping people from filling up.
“People still spend money on gas. It’s kind of a necessity,” O’Donald said.
