Commuters, rideshare and food delivery drivers are feeling stress at the pump, having to fill up their tanks with increasingly high gas prices as an economic byproduct of the continuing war in Ukraine.
As prices hit record highs in the D.C. area, some professional drivers had to take extra jobs for supplemental income.
“This is really bad. It makes me feel like I don’t want to drive,” Noe Ortiz said.
We're making it easier for you to find stories that matter with our new newsletter — The 4Front. Sign up here and get news that is important for you to your inbox.
He said he’s paying more than $25 extra to fill up.
“It feels like I should stop driving because I don’t want to use my car,” he said.
Moo Moustafa, owner of Pizza Boli's in Rockville, Maryland, said he now charges an extra $1 on deliveries because of high gas prices.
“The food cost price has gone up,” Moustafa said. “Some drivers… [are] not working. And I have to make… $1 extra.”
One food delivery driver said the extra $10 it takes him to fill up hurts, but still, “Yes, I pay.”
Gas Prices in D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia
According to CNBC, gas prices had been climbing over the past months due to higher demand, but the recent spike is largely triggered due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
On Sunday, the national average price per gallon was more than $4 for the first time since 2008.
Washington, D.C.’s average gas prices are at $4.225 per gallon — well above the national average, according to AAA. That’s 60 cents more than it was a month ago and the highest ever recorded, topping the previous record from May 2011.
In Maryland, the average price per gallon is at $4.09, a bit cheaper than in D.C. but still the most expensive on record, AAA said. While the average price in Virginia remains around $3.9 per gallon, in Northern Virginia, every jurisdiction is above $4 per gallon, according to AAA.
“I would like [prices] to go down because it's going to make everybody's life easier,” Ortiz said.
To save money, you can try using an app like GasBuddy to find the cheapest gas in areas near you. Here are more tips.
