Creative Commuting During Fuel Crisis
Atlanta is one of the large, solid business centers in the United States. It is also in a very difficult situation when it comes to fuel for commuters – there is a dire shortage. It’s not just that prices are high – it’s that people are having a hard time finding gasoline. Commuters are often traveling 10 to 20 miles out of their way to find a gas station that has fuel, then waiting in line for 30 to 60 minutes to be able to fill their tanks.
Employers have taken note and are trying to use some creative ideas when it comes to dealing with the commute – or non commute – and getting the work done.
One way that employers are dealing with the situation is by doing two things that other cities and some businesses in Atlanta had already been doing as the fuel crisis has been increasing. Some businesses have gone to a 4 day, 10 hour per day work week, eliminating one day of commuting which saves gas and money for employees. Many businesses have implemented a system of telecommuting so that unless employees actually have to be in the office, they can perform their regular duties from home. Telecommuting has been around for a while now, but some employer have been reluctant to try it for various reasons, including the fact that they feel it is not as effective, efficient or productive. Actually, employers that have been using telecommuting for some time now report just the opposite – employees are getting more done and doing a better job. The current fuel crisis is forcing some employers to try telecommuting and/or the 4 day work week, and that may be the norm for the future.
Other ways that employers are trying to get the work done and help employees at the same time include providing van and carpools, subsidizing or paying for bus or rail passes so employee do not have to drive and even other employers are offering employees $500 if they buy a car that has two cylinders less than they are driving now and $1,000 if they buy a hybrid.
The Clean Air Campaign in Atlanta, is so busy trying to field questions and help employers and employees with ideas in the face of the fuel crisis, that they have had to add several employees to handle the overflow. Though the fuel crisis is creating difficulties and inconveniences for commuters, employers and employees alike, it is also creating opportunities to develop short term and long term ideas that can prevent this type of situation from happening again.
It is unfortunate that things had to get to this point and people have had to find answers to hard questions very quickly, however, necessity, as they say, is the mother of invention. Now that the necessity is upon us and the inventions are coming to the fore, we should continue to develop them, improve them and stay focused on them, unlike the way we forgot many of the ideas and lessons of the gas shortages of the 1970’s and 1980’s. Let’s take the opportunity – like Atlanta is doing – to be creative and to get it right this time.
Aftermath of Hurricanes Adds to Fuel Shortage
Hurricanes are usually bad news to homeowners and businesses in their paths. We have seen the overwhelming results – especially since hurricane Andrew did so much damage in the early 1990’s. Since then, it seems that there have been more hurricanes of greater magnitude leaving greater destruction in their wake.
The folks that live in the southeastern United States have been hit with multiple hurricanes one after the other and have had a difficult time just beginning to try to recover. Now, on top of the grueling recovery, there is a severe fuel shortage that has hit the area as well.
Because oil production had to be temporarily halted due to the storms, many areas in the southeast are playing catch up. In Sandy Springs, GA, a mail carrier went twelve miles out of his way to get to a gas station that had gasoline to sell. When he got to the station, he had to wait in line for 40 minutes to be able to get to the pump and purchase gas for his mail truck. As they say, neither sleet, nor snow nor hail nor rain…not gas shortages. The mail will get through.
Many drivers are reporting having to go to several gas stations that are out of gas before they find one that has gas, and then they must wait in long lines to be able to purchase the gas they need. The refineries had to shut down in advance of the hurricanes and it takes a while for them to get pumps up and flowing and online again. Some of the refineries are still not up and running yet.
In addition to this delay, the U.S. Department of Energy states that even before the hurricanes, gas inventories were at their lowest levels since 1967. On the other hand, there are some supplies of fuel getting through to the area, but the governor of Georgia feels that part of the shortage is self-induced because people are panicking and rushing out to purchase all the gas they can, which artificially increases the demand on an already thin supply.
In the weeks to come, everyone from the governors to lawmakers to the Department of Energy predict that fuel supplies will get back to normal. They – as well as consumers – are looking much more carefully at ways to implement alternatives sooner rather than later, now that they know just what the combination of the aftermath of hurricanes and severe weather plus fuel shortages actually feels like.
Could Lower Fuel Prices Cause Shortages?
Good news! The cost of fuel has dropped during the past two weeks, and it is predicted that this trend will continue, at least in the short term. This is great news for consumers, or is it?
Some economists are predicting that because of the drop in prices, there could end up being fuel shortages for short periods of time if the prices continue to fall. The way that this would happen is that fuel retailers would maintain lower amounts of fuel stock waiting for prices per barrel to continue falling, rather than buying at the current price and having to sell the fuel at lower prices at the pump when the current price per barrel continues to fall.
In the meantime, there is a second half of this bizarre situation, which makes some sense from a business point of view. The second half of the scenario is consumers.
As consumers see the prices fall, they will wait until the last minute to purchase fuel, and then fill up at the lowest price possible. If the price drops significantly, consumers will possibly be in a rush to purchase while prices are down, creating the need for more fuel. With fuel companies keeping their stock low and trying to buy in bulk at the lowest price possible so they can sell at a profit, and at the same time, consumers trying to purchase as much fuel as possible at the lowest current price, there could be a shortage created.
Economists feel that the shortages would be a day or two at a time and would not necessarily become a long-term situation, however, it could still lead to a lot of concern and possible chaos for both consumers and fuel retailers.
Even with the drop in prices, however, fuel will still remain expensive to purchase. In addition, economists advise that to avoid a shortage in your personal situation, it might be good to spend the extra 2 cents per gallon and fill up your tank, not waiting for rock bottom prices to see what happens.