27 Apr For East Bay Drivers, $6 Gas Is More Than an Inconvenience

(Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash)

Commentary, Jasmine Ford

I get gas in the morning knowing it will only last a few miles, which doesn’t get me far with Uber Eats. Every trip to the pump feels stressful. I search for the cheapest option, knowing whatever I buy won’t last long before I’m back again.

With a potential U.S.- Iran deal still uncertain, gas prices in California continue to rise leaving many in the East Bay wondering why they are paying the price.

With gas averaging $6 a gallon, drivers are feeling frustrated and stretched thin by the cost of a conflict that feels far removed from their daily lives.

For people who rely on their car for work, every mile matters

Thousands of people from the East Bay make the commute into San Francisco every day, despite the rising fuel costs and gas. At the same time, refinery closures in California have reduced supply and contributed to higher fuel costs.

So why does a conflict thousands of miles away impact us so deeply?

Because gas prices aren’t just local — they’re tied to a global market where instability anywhere can raise costs everywhere.

For drivers like me, the impact is not abstract. It shows up every day. And we don’t feel it only at the pump.

I have been driving for Uber Eats for three years. While $10 used to get me three gallons at my local 7-11, it now gets me 1.5 gallons..

Being a delivery driver has its ups and downs, but gas has never been a problem when it comes to delivering orders that are 5 minutes away. I have seen a decrease in the amount of orders I get each day, as well as how much each order is. On a typical weekday, my partner and I average seven to 15 orders daily, with the prices ranging from $15-30 with tips ranging from $7-$15. Since the increase in gas prices, we now average on a typical day 4-5 orders with the prices ranging from $5-20 and tips being significantly smaller ($1-$3).

Gas prices weigh on me in the mornings, making me stressed over something that is a basic necessity as a driver in California. The price of gas significantly affects how frequently I can venture across the Bay Area; I don’t even commute outside of Antioch for work.

One change I have seen is that most people fill up on weekends instead of weekdays. Gas prices drop on Sundays usually in Antioch, so my partner and I fill up then.

As a college student in my 20s, living mostly on scholarships, grants and part-time work, rising gas prices have caused me to have to go without certain amenities, like my favorite foods and new apparel.

I know I’m not the only one. This is affecting so many other working families who are living paycheck to paycheck.

When something as basic as gas becomes unaffordable, it causes financial stress and uncertainty on when life will return to normal.

Owning a car that’s not a hybrid could make it a nightmare to maintain independence. I lose my sense of financial stability when I think about rising gas prices, and I feel a sense of dread every time I start my car when I need to go to work or keep up with my social life.

I hope that this war ends, and we find better long-term solutions to rising gas prices because basic necessities like gas shouldn’t feel out of reach.