Grand Gasoline on San Pablo Avenue has direct views of the El Cerrito Del Norte BART station. But many drivers who fill up there say they wouldn’t consider taking BART even if gas prices hit $10 a gallon.
“To me, it’s not an option,” said Leo Sanchez of Concord, who hung the fuel nozzle on his white Chevy pickup truck. He uses the car to get to work and said he currently pays about $20 a day for gas, a figure that could quickly increase amid the ongoing war with Iran.
Bay Area motorists have noticed an uptick in the trend. Grand prices rose from $4.85 a gallon last week to $5.29 a gallon Wednesday. Just down the street, the Chevron station advertises prices starting at $5.89. These numbers continue to rise. Experts predict that with the turmoil in Iran’s oil market, the statewide average price could soon exceed $7 per gallon. A Chevron gas station in Menlo Park is charging a premium of $7.80 per gallon, sparking panic like the one over egg prices during last year’s bird flu outbreak.
Still, most people grit their teeth and dig deep into their pockets. So far, gas prices haven’t been high enough to make them give up their cars.
“I just don’t know if I’ve hit my breaking point,” said Samrit Upadhaya of Richmond. “I don’t even think about it.”
Data collected by The Chronicle shows just how attached people are to their cars. According to the 2024 U.S. Census, 83% of workers in central Antioch (zip code 94509) say they commute to get off work by car or truck despite having a BART station nearby. That number drops to about 46 percent in transit-rich El Cerrito (zip code 94530), which has two BART stations and multiple bus lines serving more than half of the city’s commuter population. In north Vallejo (zip code 94589), residents live farther from BART but fairly close to buses and ferries. Apparently, few people take advantage of this service. Nearly 87% of commuters drive to work.
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Among them is Alfonso Quinone. He admitted spending about $130 a day to fill up his Toyota Tacoma truck and drive from Vallejo to San Francisco. Quinones said he might cut back on weekend driving if prices continue to surge. He couldn’t imagine giving up his car entirely.
“I tried taking the ferry,” he said. “But the last bus leaves San Francisco at 8pm, and sometimes I have to work until 10pm. BART doesn’t go to Vallejo, and the bus time is too long.”
Quinones added that the car offers flexibility and cargo space, noting that he often has to carry a 100-pound tool box to complete the job of setting up a meeting space. He often sends his daughter to school in Berkeley, but public transportation is too difficult.
Honestly, Quinones said, “I love driving.”
Of the nine riders interviewed by The Chronicle, only one said he was willing to change his habits. Paul Taylor of Berkeley said he prefers to walk rather than drive, but he can’t now because he has left his apartment and must store a large amount of luggage in his SUV. Some say they will sacrifice other amenities, such as nightlife or dining out, if gas prices continue to soar. Some said they might save money on groceries. Sanchez said he has considered moving to another state where gas and living costs are cheaper.
Anthony Brewer, a driver in Richmond, said he saves money by putting ethanol fuel in his Subaru tank. Others, however, see little point in buying a more fuel-efficient car.
“You can’t use them in the carpool lane anymore, and if the battery goes out, you’re stuck,” Quinones said. “I’d rather have a gas car that I know how to fix when it’s parked on the side of the road.”
On March 5, a motorist refueled his car in San Francisco. (Lea Suzuki/SF Chronicle)
Laura Tolkoff, director of transportation policy at SPUR, is optimistic that some groups may be persuaded to try public transportation or ride-sharing once gas prices hit the $10 mark.
“For some people, $10 is an inconvenience, and for some people, $10 is a real burden,” Tolkow said.
Yet habits and lifestyle patterns are hard to break. If a person can’t get to work, daycare, school, the grocery store, or the doctor without a car, soaring gas prices aren’t going to change that. Most people will just put up with the extra cost.
That’s certainly the case for Berkeley resident Sefina Millan, who drives to San Jose for work several times a week. She was tired of traffic jams, long commutes, highway monotony and — yes — expensive gas prices. Still, it’s hard to imagine a price that would force her off the road. It’s definitely more than $10 a gallon, she said.
Even so, Milan assured, “natural gas alone will not be the turning point.”
This article was originally published on What if gas prices hit $10 a gallon? Many Bay Area commuters say they’ll keep driving no matter what.