Gas prices have some commuters turning to mass transit

PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) – With gas prices soaring nationwide, including here in Oregon, some people are turning to TriMet to get them were they need to be.

One passenger tells FOX 12 her daily commute with TriMet typically costs less or around the same as a gallon of regular gas in Oregon right now.

As for the price of a gallon of gas, the Shell station at the corner of Barnes and Cornell in northwest Portland is selling regular gas for $4.59 -- a bit less than the statewide average of $4.66.

But for commuter Jia Sian Pedro, it’s still typically more than what she pays to get on a MAX train.

“My commute is usually maybe $2.50 a day to $5,” San Pedro says. “Sometimes I buy the student pass from my school, which saves me a lot of money.”

San Pedro says she regularly rides with TriMet as she doesn’t have a car, and given the current price at the pump, she says that won’t be changing soon.

“I don’t think it’s really worth it right now because the car prices are rising, and the gas prices are rising as well,” San Pedro says.

TriMet confirmed from the first week of February to the last, it saw about 50,000 more riders but it’s not necessarily the price of the gas causing this. Officials say more businesses easing COVID-19 protocols means more people are heading back to the office for work and more people on trains.

TriMet says they’ll have a better idea of how gas prices have impacted ridership in the next few weeks.

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