By Andeni Cunningham
Nicole Goodwin, a Buffalo State College senior, is not looking forward to summer. Not because she doesn’t enjoy the warm weather but because fuel prices continue to be costly.
“The winter was bad because I had to worry about heating costs. In the building where I live, I have to pay for heat. The warm weather is bringing higher gas costs, but at least I don’t have to pay for heat,” said Goodwin.
Goodwin lives in a subsidized apartment in downtown Buffalo. She takes the bus to school and work in order to save money by not spending it on gas.
She works at the Walden Galleria in the Old Navy store, and the commute by bus can last up to two hours because of all the stops the bus has to make. This is a definite difference from a 20-minute car ride. She has been trying to find another job closer to where she lives since last summer.
The constant fluctuations of gasoline prices have been all over the news in the past several months. Recent reports suggest that gas prices could be averaging $3 a gallon by summer. What may be more surprising are the ways in that BSC students have had to alter their lives in order to make ends meet. Some students are:
- finding second jobs
- considering moving back on campus
- carpooling with other students
- using public transportation
The reason for such high fuel prices have been attributed to:
- The many hurricanes that affected the Gulf Coast and oil refineries last year
- Instabilities in the Middle East (the War in Iraq)
- Price increases in the economy.
Other students feel the effects of gas prices from their employers. Some find that employers are not as eager to give out extra hours, and like Goodwin are trying to find other jobs or alternative ways of saving money.
“It used to take about $20 to $25 to fill my tank, now sometimes it is more than $30. That is a definite problem for me because I am already a broke college kid on a limited budget. I’d rather take the bus,” says Goodwin.
Like some other students, she is concerned about the constant fluctuation in prices and is worried about reasons behind the increase.
“Sometimes I think it is all political, how else can these prices be explained. I worry we are being taken advantage of,” Goodwin said.
Anthony Trammel, also a senior at BSC, refuses to drive his car around. Like Goodwin, he uses the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority to get around and finds that making use of the NFTA bus pass that is issued by the college saves a lot of money.
“It is such a practical idea what Buff State has done. Not only are the students free to go off-campus, but they don’t have to worry about finding bus fare, they can just go,” he said.
BSC students are issued unlimited bus passes from fees included in the total bill. The cost for the pass is $25, and students are able to use the passes from September to May.
Students are encouraged to pick up their passes at the E.H. Butler Library at the beginning of the school year.
Andeni Cunningham can be reached at: CUNNAR66@mail.buffalostate.edu
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