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.
Congress Hears Gas Crisis Issues
The current fuel crisis is not new news. It has been escalating for quite some time now. In fact, since the late 1970’s and 1980’s, the world has had fuel issues that have needed to be addressed. During the severe crisis and shortage of the 70’s and 80’s there was talk by researchers and lawmakers and citizens alike stating that it was essential to find alternative fuel and alternative ways to find fuel.
The crisis at that time died down, and so did the talk and the money for research. It seems that the trauma of those years, the long lines, leaving your car at the gas station the night before your even or odd license-plate day, or showing up at 4 A.M. to wait your turn, were forgotten once there was a “fix” for the oil we depended upon.
The result is what we are seeing today. When things were so difficult, the promises of a race to find the alternatives to fossil fuels were freely flowing. Fast forward to now, and the alternatives are not here or they are not available. Even Congress has been baffled as to what the answers are.
In May, in an effort to understand the crisis as much as possible, Congress invited truckers, consumer advocates and energy industry analysts to offer testimony regarding the effects of the fuel crisis. The reason for this, according to Congress is that “oil impacts every aspect of our life.”
Truckers, gas station owners and refiners have all been hurt severely by the current fuel situation. The President of the National Association of Small Trucking Companies stated in his testimony before Congress that “high fuel costs affect everything – everything in this room came on a truck at least once.” Testimony placed some of the blame on gas station owners, and squarely on oil companies, who are making more profits than ever. Fifty years ago, oil company shareholders received 1% of the profits. Twenty years ago, 10 to 15%. Ten years ago, 15% to 20%. And now, with the worst fuel crisis and highest prices in history, shareholders are receiving 50% of the profits and oil companies are paying little or no taxes.
Congress listened to the testimony of these individuals who know how hard the crisis has hit. Lawmakers have spoken about the problems in the months since, and it is even an election issue. It is time for us to see what will actually be done to fix the problem this time – once and for all.