Gas prices escalating: Solutions to save money

Motorists feeling the crunch due to record-high gas prices are looking for ways to save money.

Those options include alternative transportation, gas discount options and ways to improve mileage, experts said.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and state lawmakers agreed Thursday to a 30-day suspension of the state's gas tax, which is 36 cents per gallon.Maryland broke its previous record-high average gas price earlier this week and was at $4.283 on Saturday, according to AAA's gas price website. The previous high, before this week, was $4.05 on July 17, 2008, according to AAA.

The average high for a gallon of regular gas in the Hagerstown area was $4.209 as of Saturday, up from $3.766 a week prior.

The current escalating gas prices stem in large part to the fallout from Russia invading Ukraine.

“The effects of Russia invading Ukraine, coupled with tight worldwide oil supplies and increased demand, continue to impact the upward climb of crude oil and, in turn, gas prices,” AAA Mid-Atlantic spokesperson Ragina Cooper Ali said in a AAA news release. “Motorists are feeling the pain at the pump and we’re still months away from the start of the peak summer driving season. Although speculation can run awry, economic indicators continue to point to higher crude oil and gasoline prices for the remainder of winter and into spring.”

Discount gas programs

For folks still looking to drive their own vehicles, there are some discount gas programs available in Washington County.

Sam's Club offers lower gas prices for its members.

AAA partners with participating Shell stations to provide a fuel rewards program for its members that provides at least 5 cents off per gallon. The auto club is offering an additional initial discount for joining the program by April 30.

Sheetz provides 3 cents off per gallon for customers with a Sheetz rewards card. Sheetz has been advertising getting up to 8 cents off per gallon when combining the rewards card with use of a Sheetz Visa card.

Martin's Food Markets and Weis Markets also have rewards programs that allow shoppers, through store purchases, to rack up bonus points that can be used to get 10 cents off per gallon at participating gas stations for every 100 bonus points.

Martin's has gas stations outside some of its local stores. Weis rewards discounts are available at its gas stations and at participating partners like the Sunocos in Hagerstown and Williamsport, according to the grocer's website. Weis lets customers use rewards discounts on up to 20 gallons, per its website.

Martin's lets customers use rewards discounts on up to 25 gallons per transaction at most of its stores, but limits rewards for gas at its Hagerstown stores to up to 20 gallons, according to a company spokesperson.

Check with other gas stations, organizations like AARP and your credit card rewards programs to see what discounts or rewards they offer related to gas purchases.

There also are apps to help with gas prices and carpooling. GasBuddy offers a fuel card that saves up to 25 cents per gallon. Waze Carpool advertises it can match folks with fellow commuters going their way.

Driving to improve mileage

More people are exploring hybrid and electric cars, though new and used ones are in demand, and customers might have to hunt or wait for a car to become available. There also is an increasing number of charging stations available locally for electric cars.

There are ways to improve mileage, to save on gas.

Both AAA and AAMCO Transmissions and Total Car Care offer similar tips to improve fuel efficiency.

They include:

• Making sure tires are properly inflated. Both auto groups note that under inflated tires can lower gas mileage by about 3%.

• Check which octane is recommended for your vehicle. In September 2016, AAA research showed U.S. residents wasted more than $2.1 billion a year on premium gas when their vehicles were designed for regular octane. At that time, 70% of drivers had vehicles requiring regular octane.

• Avoid idling. AAA reports that idling for more than 10 seconds uses more gas than shutting off the car and restarting it.

• Drive the speed limit and drive safely. AAA reports that every 5 mph driven above 60 mph is like paying an extra 15 cents per gallon, while AAMCO says fuel economy peaks at 55 mph. Cruise control can help drivers maintain a constant speed on the highway. Avoid hard braking and jackrabbit starts. AAMCO reports that aggressive driving lowers mileage by about 15% to 30% at highway speeds and 10% to 40% in stop-and-go traffic. While AAA says aggressive driving such as speeding and rapid acceleration and braking can lower gas mileage by 33% at highway speeds and by 5% around town.

• Consolidate trips. A longer multipurpose trip to cover the same errands can reduce fuel use by about half, with a warm engine, than by taking several short trips starting with a cold engine, according to AAA.

• Minimize drag on your vehicle. This includes closing windows and avoiding carrying unnecessary items, particularly heavy ones. Carrying an extra 100 pounds in the trunk reduces a typical car's fuel efficiency by 1% to 2%, according to AAA. The auto group also recommends using a removable roof rack and placing items in the trunk when possible because a loaded roof rack can lower fuel economy by 5%.

• Keep up with regular vehicle maintenance. Problems like worn shocks and struts, low fluid levels and dirty air filters can be found as well as other conditions that increase the wear on vehicles and reduce fuel efficiency, according to AAMCO.

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Alternative transportation

Explore carpooling, public transportation options and bicycling.

The County Commuter has direct bus routes that include the Hagerstown area, Williamsport, Maugansville and Smithsburg. They run from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, with modified services in the evenings allowing routes for shopping. To catch the big buses, check out the schedule and routes at the commuter's website or call 240-313-2750 for more information.

The base rate for the Commuter's fixed routes is $1.25. That means you can ride the bus from Williamsport to Smithsburg, switching buses at the downtown Hagerstown transfer station, for $1.25, Transit Director Kevin Cerrone said. If you switch buses elsewhere, getting off and waiting for another bus, another $1.25 kicks in, he said.

The base fare for seniors 60 and older and riders with disabilities is 95 cents, while the base rate for students is 85 cents. Adult students need to present a student ID to get the student rate, Cerrone said.

The federal Transportation Security Administration announced Thursday it will extend the directive for mask use on public transportation, including buses, through April 18 due to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

Washington County's paratransit program is for people with disabilities and charges $2 for a one-way trip.

The county also offers a taxi voucher program for seniors and people with disabilities that, according to the county website, lets eligible riders save at least 50% on taxi fares within the county.

There also are at least two local job shuttle services for eligible workers.

The county has a free jobs shuttle for eligible Department of Social Services clients that provides rides to and from work and daycare, Cerrone said. Those clients can call social services to check their eligibility for rides.

The Washington County Community Action Council also offers a free shuttle for residents who work along Hopewell Road, said Geordie Newman, president and CEO. The Hopewell Express has stops in downtown Hagerstown and along Hopewell Road such as the Tractor Supply, FedEx, Staples and Home Depot distribution centers.

The action council also provides free medical transportation to anyone in the county. Like the Hopewell Express, this is intended to help county residents who don't have other means to get there, Newman said. Appointments to get to medical offices within the county fill up, he said.

Commuting toward D.C.?

If you're commuting toward Washington, D.C., the MARC train system's Brunswick line extends to Martinsburg, W.Va.

"Taking public transportation is a great way to not only save money, but help the environment because you reduce greenhouse gases and it's safe and it's reliable and it's efficient," said Paul Shepard, spokesman for the Maryland Transit Administration.

"Especially now, with gas prices being what they are, we think that public transportation is a great alternative," Shepard said.

Bicycling

Another environmentally friendly way to get where you're going is via bicycle.

"We've been working for a decade or more to make cycling a viable option throughout the community," Hagerstown City Engineer Rodney Tissue said.

Tissue estimated the city has more than 59 miles of bike lanes, bike routes, shared bike lanes and multi-use paths.

The city's online bike path map also includes information about where to find bike racks.

Correction: This story was updated at 2:16 p.m. on March 18, 2022, to reflect the correct gallon limitation for Martin's Food Markets gas-rewards program at its Hagerstown stores. Herald-Mail Media apologizes for the mistake.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Gas discounts, fuel efficiency tips and alternative transportation