High P.E.I Gas Prices are Forcing Islanders to Pay Heavy Fees at the Pump
Prince Edward Island gas prices have skyrocketed over the past month making the daily commute of islanders non affordable. Braeden Woodford, a UPEI student who lives just outside of Cornwall P.E.I is finding the rising prices especially challenging. “I drive about 20-30 minutes every time I need something,” said Woodford.
The majority of Islanders live in a more rural area making these constant changes very demanding. “I would go through about 100 or more dollars of gas every week, between the travel to see friends, get groceries or go to the university if I need anything like books,” said Woodford.
The 100 dollars a week on gas, means about 400 or 500 dollars is spent on gas each month. For most university students that one month of gas to get you where you need to be, is close to what most students pay for their share of rent each month. “I’m nervous for when classes start in person again and I have to travel into Charlottetown at least once a day for school alone,” said Woodford.
In a place like P.E.I busses aren’t a prominent source of travel either. Many island busses don’t travel through rural areas making them no use to residents in the rural areas of P.E.I. For most of P.E.I’s rural population gas is the only viable option for travel. In a time of economic need that has been endured through the COVID-19 pandemic, many islanders have already been laid off or have gotten minimized work hours, making the cost to get them from point A to point B has been just adding salt to the wound.
To make matters worse, many islanders can’t afford to just got out and get a new electric vehicles and switch from gas to energy based travel. For those who can afford to make the switch from gas to electric cars have next to nowhere to charge them. The only charging areas in P.E.I are again primarily in the non rural areas like Summerside and Charlottetown with exception of the rural areas of Borden, O’leary and Souris. So if you wish to charge your car and can’t afford an at home charger, you will be forced to spend your day around one of these electric car charging stations, waiting for your car to charge before preparing to do it all over again in the next few days.
This time last year gas on P.E.I was 50 cents per litre cheaper than what islanders can expect to see at the pumps today. According to Jocelyne Floyd of The Guardian, in 2020 gas prices were 74.2 cents per litre.
With no sign of demand going down and gas prices dropping islanders will be forced to pay the fortune for fuel in attempt to make ends meet till further notice.