The lot of the Sunoco gas station, on Lancaster Avenue in Wayne, is busier since the new year.
According to the American Automobile Association, the current average price for gasoline in Pennsylvania is $2.37. The Sunoco’s price for regular gasoline presently matches the states average at the AAA’s listed price.
Sunoco is not alone. The Exxon on Gulf Road in King of Prussia, the Getty on Fyette Street in Conshehocken, and the Mobil on Valley Forge Road in Wayne all boast gasoline prices that are between $2.30 and $2.50.
More people coming to “fill up” also means more people buying their Carona Grape Dutch Masters, Redbulls and soft pretzels from the gas station’s store rather than somewhere else—which is obviously good for the gas stations.
“We get a lot more people now then we did a few months back,” Devon Wright, Sunoco employee, said. “The bell on the door is always dinging from people coming in and out of the store.”
While the recent change in gas prices has notably affected the revenue of these businesses, it does not stop there.
The community’s general health and driving behaviors are all but a few examples of elements affected by the change in price.
So, how are these facets affected and why did the price of gas get so low in the first place?
The price of gasoline, which is largely attributed to the supply and demand of oil by the global market, has two main reasons it has recently plummeted.
Thanks to the United States and Canada’s latest jump in oil production, which has caused a surplus in oil, in conjunction with the lack of demand for oil by Asia and Europe, gasoline prices have dropped.
With the reasons for the drop in price out of the way, it is important to understand the larger ripples that the change in gasoline prices have on the consumer.
The study “Is There an Association Between Gasoline Prices and Physical Activity? Evidence from American Time-Use Data” by the Journal of Policy Analysis and Managent, found that high gasoline prices are often associated with increased participation in time spent on “certain physical activities,” while concurrently people were found to be less engaged in physical activities when there were lower gas prices.
Higher gas prices does not just coax people to take part in walking, bicycling and running instead of using motorized transportation, but also leads families to cutback on expenditures such as hired help for household chores or gardening and to take on the tasks themselves, according to the study.
Lower gas prices do not just make people more physically active, but also changes how sparingly people decide to use the gasoline they purchase.
Students who commute to campus are the ones to be most affected by the change in gas prices at Cabrini—notably the way they chose to use the gasoline they buy changes depending on the rate of the fuel in the first place.
“It doesn’t take much money to fill my tank so it doesn’t bother me when I have to fill it,” Francie McPeak, education major, said.
Like McPeak, fellow commuter, Morgan Burn’s, education major, gasoline-burning behavior has also changed since the drop in gasoline price.
“The fact that the gas prices are so much lower makes my commute to school so much easier. Before I would hate to drive back and forth to my house between classes,” Morgan Burns, a commuter and early education and special education double major, said. “I always felt like it was such a waste but now I don’t feel that way.”
