The Facts: Gas prices continue to rise, so students are forced to consider their opportunity costs.
Our Opinion: Students should look toward alternative modes of transportation, even if they are less convenient.
With gas prices on the rise again, students have no choice but to be more frugal. Prudence is something college students are accustomed to, but that doesn’t make dealing with increasing gas prices any less stressful. Now, more than ever, we have to heavily consider the opportunity cost of filling up the gas tank, and we have to be more creative with our transportation solutions.
At this point in the semester, many students are trying to fit in one more trip to home before they come back to cram for exams. However, if you’re one of the many students who are not Raleigh natives, then you might have to make other arrangements. Home is where students find solace in the midst of final stress. Not having the comfort of home before endless nights of cramming for finals will have many students feeling more tense come exam time.
Cutting loose on the weekend isn’t a new concept to University students either. However, many have to make increasingly harder decisions about where their money should go. Going out on the weekend seems to be less of an option; spending money on gas doesn’t leave much for much else. Although, with exams coming up, that might not be the worst thing, perhaps increased gas prices will force academic productivity.
It’s not all bad though; as university students we do have many transportation options. Granted, they’re not all as convenient as our cars, but sacrificing convenience for money isn’t a bad trade-off at all. Taking the Wolfline or CAT buses can alleviate the stress on your wallet throughout the week, leaving you with more money for the weekends. Many other buses, like Megabus and Greyhound, are available for long distance travel, so it is possible to make that trip home after all.
If driving overall is disenchanting, then going green is also an option. An increasing number of students have invested in bicycles. Biking to campus and other reasonably close areas of interest is a much cheaper alternative, and it’ll bring you closer to your summer fitness goals. You may also find that the exercise relieves stress.
As frustrating as it is to see fuel prices rising with each pass of a gas station, it’s up to us to actively seek out our alternatives. Complaining about gas prices while pouring $70 into our tanks won’t change anything. With various modes of transportation at our disposal, gas becomes more an option and less of a necessity.
