With the hike in gas prices across the U.S. due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, students of West Texas A&M University are reanalyzing their transportation options on and around campus. According to Car and Driver, the average price of a gallon of gas was $4.17 as of March 8, 2022. In California, the prices were between $5 to $6.

WT introduced Bird scooters to campus on March 1 to alleviate both parking and transportation problems on campus. 30 scooters are currently available to rent on campus, complementing WT’s shuttle bus service which provides free campus transportation to students, faculty, staff and campus visitors.

Samantha Mierstchin is a junior education (Grades EC-6) major. Mierstchin lives in Amarillo and drives 20 minutes to campus each weekday.

“One of the biggest costs is actually time and, of course, gas also costs money,” Mierstchin said. “Part of it is, I have to figure out whether or not it is absolutely worth it to come to campus. With the 20 minutes it takes to get here, that often eats into the time I wake up and when to leave.”

Living in the dorms is a transportation advantage at this point. Students who live on campus have the option of walking short distances to various buildings on campus. These students get to save more money because they do not have to deal with hikes in gas prices.

“I live in the dorms, in Shirley, so most of the time I walk back and forth because I find it easier,” said Stormy Chavez, a freshman studio art major. “I did use a bike, but the lock kept getting stuck due to the weather so I just thought it would be quicker if I just started walking.”

Ashlyn Moss is a junior psychology major who travels often to visit her family, who lives two and a half hours away from Canyon. Moss has cut down on her frequent family visits because of the increase in gas prices.

“I don’t travel too much but, whenever I have to travel to go home to visit my family for medicine, it takes about two and a half hours,” Moss said. “That is a lot of time and money spent for gas, especially with the recent rise in prices, so I try not to go as often as I could.”

2022 Fuel Price Outlook predicts fuel prices will begin to fall, with a national average all the way down to $3.78 by December 2022. Some may perceive this as still high, but it will be a better bargain compared to the current high prices.

If you want to stretch your dollar and save some cash, visit GasBuddy for the lowest gas prices in Canyon.