Driving to class comes at a higher cost as Ottawa gas prices rise

Average gas price in Ottawa recently reached $1.77 per litre, adding more pressure to students who rely on their vehicles to drive to Algonquin College and work.

With winter approaching, the costs of maintaining a vehicle could become a stress factor for students while already balancing tuition, groceries and rent.

For students who drive to college and other post-secondary schools across Ottawa, higher gas prices may cause drivers to make changes to their daily routines.

Tevin Sweet, 19, usually drives to Algonquin College but feels the impact of the rising costs.

“It’s getting hard to drive to school now especially all the way from Orléans,” said Sweet.

“It’s frustrating to drive on whatever gas you have left and still pay for your parking on campus. It feels hopeless just seeing the gas prices only increase.”

In Orléans, the prices can vary between stations. On Nov. 3, some locations such as Esso offered gas at around $1.60 per liter and Ultramar around $1.65 per litre.

“I fill up my Chevrolet Equinox around once a week,” said Sweet.

“I filled it up halfway two days ago and it was $59 for 35 litres of gas.”

Students who travel from afar feel the impact in price even harder.

Hena Elkhatib, 18, an Algonquin College construction student, drives 77 kilometres from Alfred, Ont to campus around twice a week.

“It’s getting very difficult to get by. I can’t afford to move to Ottawa but now I’m starting to think I can’t afford to pay gas,” said Elkhatib.

“My car consumes eight litres of gas every 100 kilometres so every time I get home, my gas tank is either halfway or almost empty.”

Elkhatib is even planning on switching to public transit because of how expensive gas is becoming for her.

“I basically plan on driving to Trim and take the bus from there to Blair station to hop on the train,” said Elkhatib.

“The whole trip will be longer than driving straight to college but even saving 58 kilometres worth of gas is better than nothing.”

Finding cheaper gas has also become a mandatory challenge for drivers trying to manage their budgets. Some drivers use the app GasBuddy to compare prices between stations.

As of Nov. 3, radio broadcast student Isaac Donelly, 20, prefers to use the app to find the most affordable gas stations nearby to refuel his car.

“I personally find Shell gas stations to be affordable because they’re almost always under $1.65 per litre,” said Donelly.

“If not Shell, then I like to fill up my gas anytime past 9 p.m. Esso or Petro-Canada lowers their prices by a few cents,” said Donelly.