Rising Gas Prices Having Major Impact On Businesses & Non-Profits

The rising price of gasoline is making it harder for many Oklahomans to do their jobs. 

"You have inflation. You have the effects of the pandemic. Our services are going up, they're just at unbelievable highs. Then you have the cost of doing business," explained United Way's President & CEO, Debby Hampton 

Hampton says their already strained budget is getting tighter, thanks to the cost to fill up a tank. 

"We have agencies where the CEO is actually driving clients to services. There are just all kinds of issues just trying to find the properly trained bus drivers," explained Hampton. 

So far, no organizations have asked United Way for aid to cover costs. Instead, partners have broken into emergency funds to foot the gas bill or moved services online. At OSU-OKC's Precision Driving School, they can't avoid a fleet of full gas tanks. Officials there said regular public classes haven't made a dent in the fuel costs; but specialized classes are a different story. 

"If we're doing law enforcement classes such as we're doing the rest of this week. The cars will probably get fueled everyday just to keep them topped off and not have to run into issues having to stop and fuel a car in the middle of training," said school's Director, Bill Hughes. 

Meanwhile, smaller businesses have had to lean on customers to help cover costs. 

"We normally fill up once to two times a week," explained Charles Owens, Owner of Owens Lawn Care Maintenance. He continued, "back in the day it used to cost us like $100-$140 to fill up the tank, basically the truck and the equipment but now it's costing us around $250." 

A tip to get the most bang for your buck, plan out a route ahead of time. 

"Say I need to go these three or four or five different places. If they can manage to do them all on one trip on one day and cover the whole deal," said Hughes. 

Another tip to save on gas is to drive slower and make less stops.