By Patricia Breakey
Delhi News Bureau
Soaring gas prices are forcing some people to alter their driving habits and inflicting pain on others who have no choice but to fill up regularly.
Teri Zano, of Andes, shook her head as she filled the tank of her Subaru in Delhi on Wednesday. Regular gas was $3.69 but high test was at $3.99.
"It's forcing me to shop once a month instead of once a week," Zano said as her daughter, Laurajean, stood by her side. "The price of gas is affecting everything. Food prices have gone up, and I am afraid I am going to have to sell my horses because price of grain and hay has skyrocketed."
Jake Deleski, of Otego, travels between 750 and 1,000 miles a week working as a salesman for Southern Wine and Spirits of Upstate New York. In addition to calling on stores and restaurants throughout the area, he has to attend weekly sales meetings in Syracuse and Rochester.
"(The price of gas) is killing me and it's killing the whole industry," Deleski said. "For the first time ever, the company has put a fuel surcharge on small deliveries. All of the product prices are creeping up because of rising shipping costs.
"Everything in this business and almost every other business is dependent on trucks moving products," Deleski said. "We may have to go back to shipping on trains."
Deleski said he has considered purchasing a smaller, more gas-efficient car, but added that he doesn't have the extra money because he is spending so much at the pump.
Gasoline prices set another record at the pump Friday, while some analysts said the sharp price increases of recent days could soon level off even though gas will continue to rise.
In the Albany-Schenectady-Troy region, according to the AAA Fuel Gauge Report, the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded rose to 3.682 on Friday. That was up 2 cents from Thursday and more than 27 cents in the last two weeks. In the Binghamton region, the average was $3.619, up 21.6 cents since April 10.
Gas prices have risen sharply in recent days partly because refiners have been switching over from winter-grade gasoline. In the summer, the government requires them to sell a more expensive form that pollutes less. The process is nearly complete, suggesting that price increases could slow.
During the past 12 months, gasoline prices have risen by more than 23.3 percent. Oil prices have risen by 80.3 percent "" or almost four times as fast as gasoline prices.
In the fourth quarter of 2007, the last period for which data are available, consumers spent 3.8 percent of their after-tax income on gasoline and fuel, up from 3.1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2006. To put this in perspective, over the course of one year, spending on gasoline, oil, and fuels rose by $91.1 billion.
Eric Robbins, A " D Transport manager, said gas prices are "killing the taxi drivers."
Robbins said the drivers are independent contractors and are responsible for filling the taxi's tanks out of their own wallets.
"Most people don't realize the drivers have to cover the cost, so when someone jumps out on them, they are only hurting the driver," Robbins said.
Robbins said fares haven't gone up yet, but the company is discussing a hike in prices. He said the company-owned taxis and vans average only about 18 miles per gallon.
"We all just hope things get better soon," Robbins said.
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Patricia Breakey can be reached at 746-2894 or at stardelhi@stny.rr.com.
