America’s commute was already expensive. Then gas prices surged.
America’s commute was already expensive. Then gas prices surged.
Jessica Guynn, USA TODAYWed, April 1, 2026 at 9:04 AM UTC
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Steven Bolton, who sells Mercedes for a living and drives one of his own, says the wear and tear he worries about most these days is on his household budget.
Filling the tank of his S-class sedan for the 11-mile, 25-minute commute from his home in Warren, Michigan, to his job at a Mercedes-Benz dealership in Bloomfield Hills used to cost this 38-year-old father of three about $70. Now it’s closer to $120.
Plunking down $10 a day on gas, Bolton said he has had to cinch his belt. He only orders lunch once or twice a week and he has pulled money out of his 401(k) to pay bills.
He’s also reevaluating his driving habits. On the table is trading his Mercedes S-class for a hybrid or electric car and enrolling his son in a preschool closer to home to avoid that additional 10-mile drive.
“I hope we don’t see $10 a gallon,” he said. “I am praying that after the war, gas prices will come back down.”
Steven Bolton
Few are feeling as much pain at the pump as the nearly 7 in 10 Americans who commute to work by car.
The average commuter spends 63 hours a year stuck in traffic. And these rush-hour slogs are only getting longer as rising housing costs push commuters farther from city centers.
But since the Iran war throttled oil supply routes, it’s not just the miles. It’s the money.
With the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline topping a multiyear high of $4 a gallon, according to AAA, inflation-weary commuters are having a tough time absorbing the energy shock.
The average daily cost of that drive to work has jumped 11% to $17.17 a day, including maintenance, tolls and parking, according to new figures consulting firm Gartner provided to USA TODAY.
If gas hits $5 a gallon, driving to work will cost commuters $18.75 a day or $2,719 a year, a 21% hike from prewar levels, said Caroline Walsh, Gartner’s managing vice president in the human resources practice.
Gas prices are displayed at a gas station on Capitol Hill, amid the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, in Washington, D.C., on March 19, 2026.'People are increasingly feeling it'
The national average for gasoline has already climbed more than a dollar since Feb. 28, the largest monthly increase GasBuddy has recorded. With no apparent end to the Iran war in sight, GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan predicts a gallon of gas will keep rising.
Gas is still cheaper than in several prior geopolitical crises and energy is a smaller share of people's expenses. But transportation costs are still the second-largest household cost after housing, averaging 17% of expenditures, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Housing and transportation combined account for a little more than half of an average families’ spending.
Over the past month, Americans have already spent nearly $8 billion more on gasoline, according to De Haan. Morning Consult’s Gas Price Surprise index, which measures the net share of consumers who experienced higher than expected prices when making a purchase, soared to 29.3 in March, the highest level since April 2024.
Gasoline prices included diesel no. 2 at a gas station in Encinitas, California on March 30, 2026.
With the rapid run-up, commuters say they are rethinking routines and combining errands to log fewer miles behind the wheel. They are also cutting back on discretionary purchases and rethinking summer travel plans to make up for the pump bump.
Mark Jeffreys, 57, who either bikes or takes the bus on his nine-mile roundtrip commute to his job as a city council member in Cincinnati, says he’s been getting an earful about high gas prices from his constituents, especially the elderly on a fixed income who are already seeing electric bills and other expenses increase.
“People are increasingly feeling it,” he said, “and we are hearing about it.”
Gas prices squeeze household budgets
Even if a deal to end the Iran war is reached soon, forecasters expect oil prices to remain high for months. Other goods, such as food, will likely go up, too.
Anxiety over rising gas prices has already hammered consumer sentiment, which slid to a three-month low in March as Americans expressed concerns about the economy, according to the University of Michigan’s monthly survey.
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“Gas prices are highly visible and there’s something fundamentally unsettling about driving by a sign every day that reminds you that prices are going up,” Richmond, Virginia, Fed president Tom Barkin said in a recent speech. “Not only do higher oil prices hit consumer sentiment but they also affect the price of other products like air travel, freight and shipping. Those higher prices can crowd out spending elsewhere.”
Slip tanks? You won't believe how these people are saving money on gas
Elevated gas prices are having the biggest impact on the tightest budgets, including college students, according to The Oracle, the University of South Florida’s student newspaper.
Tyler Dunham, a 22-year-old computer science major, told USA TODAY he has no choice but to make the 40-mile, hourlong trek from his Spring Hill home to the university’s main campus in Tampa five times a week.
Dunham relies on his internship as a software engineer to cover his expenses, including the $130 a week it now costs to fill the tank of his Hyundai Sante Fe twice a week.
That extra $20 to $40 a pop has put a crimp in his lifestyle. He DoorDashes less and goes out less.
“It adds up,” Dunham said. “It’s like an entire student loan payment.”
Gas prices are displayed at a Titusville, Florida gas station as the prices of oil and gas surge amid the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran on March 31, 2026.Tough time to drive for a living
Circumstances are even worse for people who drive for a living.
Some employers reimburse employees for using their own vehicles and the Internal Revenue Service sets a standard mileage rate every year. But that money doesn't stretch as far now.
Gig workers for ride-hailing and food delivery platforms are receiving some temporary incentives including fuel discounts from Uber, DoorDash and others.
It's not much solace for drivers who must cover fuel, maintenance and insurance, said Ervin Hansen, a 66-year-old Uber driver from Pleasanton, California. When those costs go up, it can put a major dent in his earnings, Hansen said.
These days when he heads into San Francisco to pick up rides, he pays as much as $5.62 a gallon, up from $3.89 six weeks ago. To make matters worse, his Honda Accord hybrid was out of commission until recently so he rented a Kia Sport that set him back $50 a day in gas alone.
“It’s been rough,” Hansen said.
Commuters consider biking, carpooling
For commuters feeling the pinch, Gartner's Walsh recommends employers offer temporary subsidies or one-time bonuses to cover increased costs and reduce financial stress.
Some organizations are allowing employees to work from home a day or two a week on a temporary basis, she said. Walsh also recommended offering more flexibility in work schedules so employees can skip the gas-guzzling gridlock of peak commute hours.
For those who have the option, more are contemplating walking, cycling, carpooling or catching the bus or train to get some relief.
Boris Kagarlitskiy, a 42-year-old financial adviser in Cleveland, made that switch years ago and hasn’t looked back.
His pedals have powered his commute since gas prices surged during the Obama administration. From spring until autumn, he cruises to the office on his bike if weather permits, saving money, reducing emissions and sneaking in some cardio.
“I do it primarily for health reasons but obviously with gas prices being what they are, that’s an extra motivation,” Kagarlitskiy said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Surging gas prices are hurting commuters. It may get worse.
Source: “AOL Money”
