High car fuel prices - share your woes here !

[upright man]

Car petrol prices have been rising and rising. Petrol prices in SIN have risen about 5 times already this year, to about S$2 a litre for the cheapest 92 octane stuff.
Last night, my old Honda 'drank' an amazing S$100 worth, for the first time ever. Most depressing thought is that there is no end to rising prices in sight.
How are you coping with the high petrol prices ? Drive less/slower, car pooling ? Public transport ?
Share your experiences and woes here.....

[SQ LPP]

I don't drive. I use public transport. Thus I don't really pay attention to gasoline. What I remember is when I lived in the US, it was something like a dollar something for a gallon. But now when I go to San Francisco, I see the price is way more than double.

[SQflyergirl]

Here in Malaysia, gas prices are still bearable (RM 1.92 per liter - 97 RON)

but there is talk of higher prices soon, but i don't think my habits will change because public transport here is extremely unreliable.

[Kiwi]

I don't drive. I use public transport. Thus I don't really pay attention to gasoline.

Ditto. Bus fares unchanged. Cab fares however keep going up and up.

[SQ LPP]

Ditto. Bus fares unchanged. Cab fares however keep going up and up.

I rarely taking a cab. Thus, did not notice it. Going to the airport, taking the public bus covered by my monthly pass. Taking taxi when it's an early morning departure or when arriving late at night. From last week, it felt still about the same cab fare...

[Kiwi]

I'll likely have to cab tonight - flight due to arrive same time last bus leaves. But weather closing in so I might be stuck here

[impresta]

Where I live the price is about $1.30/Litre (CAD) Funny thing is we produce the gasoline yet our prices are still more expensive than some places that don't produce oil in the states. But I hear 4 refineries are going to open soon around early Fall close to where I live. The predicted outcome is that oil per barrel will be about $75-85 as compared to the $130/barrel. This could mean a huge drop in gasoline price at the pump. *crosses fingers*

[HUGE AL]

US$4.39 per gallon is what I paid today.

[Kiwi]

That is cheap.

[nickbot]

I'll be the first to chime in from the UK here - because of the government taxes on fuel, we've always paid over the odds when compared to the US etc.

Currently, regular petrol costs circa £1.11 per litre, this amounts to SG$13.60 or US$10 per gallon. Regular diesel is circa £1.23 per litre (SG$15.09 or US$11.10 per gallon). To fill my car up (60 litre tank plus 5 litre reserve) now costs £66 (SG$177 / US$131). These prices can rise by typically 10 pence per litre when on the motorway (captive audience).

Luckily, mrs nickbot and I don't use our cars a great deal, as we cycle commute to work (I cycle circa 70-100 miles a week, depending upon which sites I'm working at), so we save quite a lot on petrol that way. The downside is that when one does actually fill the car up for a long journey, it's a real shocker as you're not used to paying so much (many price rises in between fill-ups)

With petrol at US$4.39 a gallon in the US, as HUGE AL reports, this really highlights just how much tax we pay here in the UK. I'm no flag waving environmentalist, but I think that the US really ought to look towards getting rid of massive V8 engines in their cars, and going more along the lines of what we have over here (1.8 turbos etc.), because with this level of consumption at such low prices, the situation will no doubt get much worse as supplies deplete. Such a step-change would, however, be almost impossible unless similar taxes to those experienced in the UK were imposed upon their auto fuel.

[up and away]

Last Friday was € 1.52/l for super (98 octane I think). Diesel at € 1.50/l


I'd really love to leave the car at home, but unfortunately often it's the only option.
To school I take the bus (and thanks to our head of school I now have to wait 70 minutes for the bus back home every day), but otherwise public transport is no option at all- the last busses go at 6pm. That means that for most of my activities I have to use other means of transportation.

The bike is an option during summertime, but if you've ever seen what half an hour of rain can do to a bag full of School documents you'll know why I usually prefer the waiting!

Interesting is that even stealing fuel becomes more popular again, so we have to store our lawn mower and its fuel in a locked shed!

[lee_apromise]

In BNE, it's about A$1.65 per litre for gasoline and 1.83 for diesel. I'm taking bus everyday to uni but from next year, I will be driving since I will be moving closer to uni. The public transport in Brisbane is not that bad but it is just too unbearable for me.

[upright man]

Thanks for all the replies, everyone ! Interesting to see how it is from your perspective !

[HUGE AL]

With petrol at US$4.39 a gallon in the US, as HUGE AL reports, this really highlights just how much tax we pay here in the UK. I'm no flag waving environmentalist, but I think that the US really ought to look towards getting rid of massive V8 engines in their cars, and going more along the lines of what we have over here (1.8 turbos etc.), because with this level of consumption at such low prices, the situation will no doubt get much worse as supplies deplete. Such a step-change would, however, be almost impossible unless similar taxes to those experienced in the UK were imposed upon their auto fuel.

The problem is much more complex than any of us can comprehend (myself included). I do know that the US Government subsidizes the oil companies to keep the price down. The current price of gas in the US should be somewhere around US$10 per gallon. As much as we complain, we really are paying less. Question is: how much can the market dictate? People who run around California urging the public to "boycott" the gas stations for a day are simply ridiculous as they simply fill up the next day. Our dependence on fossil fuels is completely out of control. Per Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s article in Vanity Fair last month, we need only to look at Iceland for an example of how great things can happen when we shed this:

http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/f...anifesto200805

[Tanandika]

I'm definitely driving less nowadays... I remembered last summer when it hit $3.20 a gallon and everyone was freaking out... This time around, it is $4.09 in Los Angeles and it's really sad to know that it will just keep rising and rising. I'm paying about $63 dollars a week now... a little too much for a college student... though I cannot imagine how it would be like to live in the UK where it is $10 a gallon...

I agree with nickbot... Since there is not much we can do to lessen our dependence on petrol, people here should really consider not buying the Mercedes Benz S63, or even the S600... stop complaining that the new Audi R8 doesn't come in V10 version... start supplying this country with cars that consume less gas.. what happened to the BMW 318s? Stop driving the Hummers around town, where knowing the LA traffic, everyone is gonna get stuck somehow somewhere for sometime anyway... Why is it that there are no options other than the Benz C300 or C350 or C63?.. it's a total waste! Even the Hondas and Toyotas have a more fuel consuming engine than the ones found in Asia...
thats all from me..

ps. it does say "share" your woes on the title.. so you can't blame me for blurting out all my thoughts...