Gas prices soar, students still driving

by Nila Priyambodo
Assistant Editor

Despite the soaring prices of gasoline, students at the University of La Verne still prefer driving their car than using other forms of transportation such as bikes, buses and trains to commute to school.

High gas prices are especially affecting students who have to commute more often because of school related events, such as internships, jobs at school and music concerts for their Music History and Appreciation class.

“Gas prices are really hitting me hard,” said junior psychology major Nicole Unrein, who commutes to school five days a week and to her internship in West Covina three days a week. “I find that if I didn’t have my internship, I would be spending half as much on gas. It’s really killing me.”

Sophomore psychology major Jacqueline Garcia has to drive from Chino to ULV three days a week in order to watch musical concerts for her music class.

“Price for gas gets more expensive, especially if you have to attend concerts for a class,” Garcia said.

There are a few students, like senior public relations major Lori Waters, who commutes by way of the Metrolink to save money on gas prices.

“It’s faster, it’s cheaper and there’s less traffic,” said Waters, who uses the commuter train to reach her internship in Los Angeles.

However, most students who commute at ULV would prefer to pay at the pump than to plan their day around a bus or train schedule.

“I haven’t considered using other methods of transportation because my car is just easier to use,” Unrein said. “It causes more of a headache to try and figure out the schedule for the other methods of transportation.”

Catherine Cornejo, a sophomore majoring in marketing, said that it would be a hassle to deal with different schedules.

“By driving my car I can go when I want,” said Cornejo, who drives four days a week from Phillips Ranch.

Sophomore accounting major Ana Aguilera, who commutes from Fontana every weekday for simplicity, also prefers driving to finding other modes of transportation.

“I would still like to commute by driving because I have all my books in my car, and I wouldn’t want to carry so many things all day,” Aguilera said. “Gas prices are too high, but I have to deal with it.”

Other problems that students encounter are that buses and trains are not available to them in their area and that they don’t know other students who live close enough to carpool.

“As much as I would like to use these other forms, I am still forced to commute by car,” said freshman international business and Spanish major Terri Hernandez, who lives in Anaheim.

People at Fuel Economy, a program that encourages environmental protection at the National Transportation Research Center at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, understand the convenience and feasibility of driving a car, but encourage different approaches to save money on gas.

There are a number of alternative modes of transportation, said Bo Saulsbury, research associate at NTRC. “But we are not asking people to stop driving their cars. We’re just asking that they do their homework and choose the most fuel-efficient car, truck or SUV that meets their needs and drive in a manner that helps save gasoline.

“Students would be surprised by how much money they can save,” he said. “Not to mention how much they can help reduce oil imports and protect the environment if they chose more fuel-efficient cars.”

Besides driving fuel-efficient cars, there are other ways to save money on gas. According to Fuel Economy, driving efficiently, keeping the engine tuned and replacing air filters regularly are some methods to improve gas mileage.