Some interesting phenomena grew out of the crazy fluctuations in gas prices. Here are some of the ways in which gas prices affected behavior in our country.

‘Bus people’ becomes bigger demographic

As people probably suspected, public transportation became more popular when gas prices skyrocketed in the summer. From July to September, ridership was up 6.5 percent compared to last year.

The interesting thing is what happened to public transportation ridership when gas prices shot back down: Nothing.  Well, not nothing, but not much. Many people chose to continue using public transportation after gas prices went back down just because they had grown used to it.

My thoughts? In the past, some categories of people looked down on “bus people,” and buses had a bad reputation. People viewed riding the bus as low-class. When gas prices pushed more people of different demographics onto the bus, the stigma was dropped when people realized how many benefits come with riding the bus. Number one benefit: Not paying or looking for parking.

Driving: Not so popular anymore

Obviously, if more people are still using public transportation, fewer people are driving. But it isn’t just the bus people who are cutting down the driving statistics. Americans as a whole are simply driving less, even though they don’t need payday loans to afford gas anymore.

Between November 2007 and October 2008 Americans drove 100 billion miles fewer than they did last year. The Department of Transportation has called it the most dramatic continuous decline in history.

I think this phenomenon can be attributed to a combination of increasingly educated citizens when it comes to energy use, gas prices and continued attention in politics focused on energy efficiency and the environment.

Talk about a tax hike

While less driving is good for the environment, it’s not good for state budgets. As Americans buy less gas, that means they are paying less in gas taxes. In fact, driving has declined so much that the federal commission that oversees financing for transportation is considering a tax hike.

Money from gas taxes goes toward highway and public road construction and repair. The commission is urging a 50 percent increase in the gas tax to ensure these services will continue to be funded.

The man behind the pump

A gas tax hike will only make things worse for already struggling gas station owners. Gas stations only make 30 percent of their profit from gas, even though gas constitutes 70 percent of their sales. The majority of their profit comes from buying food and other goods inside the store.

Traffic is everything for gas station profits. When more people buy gas, more  come inside and contribute to the station’s profits. As more and more people are skipping trips to the gas station, profits are falling, falling, falling.

If these trends continue, it might be gas station owners applying for payday loans.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Save energy, save the economy
• Energy Department awards up to $80 billion to green federal projects
• Will energy savings jump-start the economy?
• Gas guzzling temptation as prices fall