COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- Gas reached a national average of $3.51 a gallon on Monday, which is up 14 cents over the past week. The average price of gas in Colorado Springs is $3.31, and the current spike has locals cutting back to keep costs manageable.
"As you can see I'm only putting $20 in my tank [that's] because it's ridiculous," Jacque Hobbs, Colorado Springs driver, said.
Oil is the biggest factor in gas prices, which means they rise and fall together. But world politics also have an effect, so the recent conflict in the Middle East means Americans are paying more to fill up.
"[It's] $21 for only 6.5 gallons, normally that would give me almost a full tank, but that's only half a tank today," Cindy Medina, Colorado Springs driver, said.
The higher gas prices mean a smaller paycheck for taxi cab drivers. The cabbies at Yellow Cab are all independent drivers, so they're paying for their own gas. The current spike in gas prices means their $2.20 for hire fee isn't covering their costs.
"It's costing me an extra $10-15 a day for a six day work, that's probably a utility bill in winter," Eric Barr, a Yellow Cab Driver, said.
The only way to make up for the gas hike is to get a temporary fuel surcharge or adjust the meter rate, but that could take months. In the meantime, Barr is bumping his 45 hour workweek to 60 hours, all to make sure he takes home a decent paycheck.
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