Average Syracuse-area gas prices have risen 19 cents per gallon in the last month, making students with cars question whether it is always worth it to drive.

‘Having a pickup truck was always my dream as a little girl,’ said Sara Curtin, a sophomore exercise science and health major. ‘Spending $50 every time to fill it, not so much.’

The price increase is a result of multiple factors, said Patrick DeHaan, a senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy.com, a website that helps users find low gas prices and manages local sites like SyracuseGasPrices.com. A weakening dollar, a positive outlook on Wall Street and Department of Energy reports of large drops in petroleum inventories have all contributed to the surge, DeHaan said.

Although average prices have gone up on a national level during the last month, New York is being affected more significantly than other states. The national average price has risen from $2.74 per gallon to $2.84 per gallon in the last month, but the Syracuse average has risen from $2.76 to $2.95, according to SyracuseGasPrices.com.

Despite the increased cost of driving for Syracuse students who choose to bring a car to school, the price surge has not had a significant impact on the purchase of parking permits. This year, 3,743 permits have been sold, and these numbers have remained fairly constant over the last few years, said Scot Vanderpool, Syracuse University’s Parking and Transit Services manager.

‘The numbers indicate that students like the convenience of having a vehicle on campus, despite the gas prices,’ Vanderpool said.

High gas prices in New York can be attributed to state taxes, DeHaan said.

‘New York state has the third highest gas tax rate in the 50 states,’ DeHaan said. ‘Other states that have among the lowest gas taxes, such as South Carolina and New Jersey, have lower averages.’

Average Syracuse prices have not been below $2 per gallon since February 2009, according to SyracuseGasPrices.com. But that does not mean people have gotten used to paying high prices for gas, DeHaan said.

‘While some drivers have accepted higher gas prices, many don’t like it and fight it as much as possible,’ DeHaan said.

For some students who do not have the convenience of a car, the already difficult process of getting from place to place is made even more difficult as gas prices rise.

‘It can be a pain paying a friend for gas, especially when he has a gas-guzzling car,’ said Nick Dauch, a junior entrepreneurship major.  ‘Every time I need a ride to the store, there’s another few dollars.’

Other students said they are unconcerned with the rising price of gas.

‘My parents pay for my gas, so it hasn’t really affected me,’ said Lucie Kittel, a sophomore advertising major.

Despite the current high gas rates, prices tend to level off during the winter, and they dropped to under $2 a gallon in winter 2008. Even if they do not level off, some students said the benefits of having a car outweigh the expenses.

‘Having a car allows me to do things when I need to,’ said Luis Cadavid, a sophomore classical civilizations major. ‘Not just when my friend can drive me.’ 

kmprisei@syr.edu

Published on October 18, 2010 at 12:00 pm

Contact Kevin: kmprisei@syr.edu