PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain issues, inflation, Hurricane Ida flooding — the last few years have been a doozy for Ryan Owsiany, owner of Patch and Paint Pros in Conshohocken, and now, his business is weathering another storm.
President Joe Biden issued a ban on Russian oil imports earlier this week amid the ongoing onslaught in Ukraine, cutting into supplies on the homefront and pushing gasoline prices higher.
Energy analysts say crude oil prices could go as high as $160 or even $200 a barrel due to sanctions imposed by the West or if buyers continue shunning Russian crude. Oil prices that high could send an average gallon of U.S. gasoline past $5 a gallon.
Gas prices already hit record highs this week in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. AAA Mid-Atlantic reported $4.09 a gallon in the Garden State, breaking 2008’s record of $3.99. The current price is up 60 cents just in the last month. Pennsylvania surpassed that, reaching an average of $4.17, while the Philadelphia area topped $4.22 a gallon. The nation is averaging $4, up $1.24 from a year ago.
These days, Owsiany and his team can easily shell out triple digits to fill up a tank of gas with all the traveling they have to do. Owsiany and his crew have five vans that crisscross the region, and they’re feeling the pinch at the pump.
“We’re in Chester County, Delaware County, Montgomery County, primarily. But all day there are five vans out there, plus a bunch of employee vehicles that are driving around to all these different houses,” he said.
“You’re now hitting $100 on the pumps quite frequently, and sometimes they shut off and you can’t even fill up your whole tank, but the price has gone up and it’s just hurting the margins.”
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It’s costing the company more to get the job done and to get employees from A to B. Owsiany said they have to start charging customers a little more so they can pay the crew a living wage.
“They’re worried about,” he said. “I want to be able to pay for lunch and groceries, but my gas prices are going up and it’s making it hard on everyone.”
He hopes the situation in Ukraine stabilizes as soon as possible, as do everyday Philly drivers. COVID-19 restrictions have softened and spring is ahead, prompting more and more travel or trips by car.
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Esther Kwak of Glenside said she’s changing some of her driving habits because of the rising cost of fuel.
“I’m just trying to limit my driving and just being more efficient with my trips,” she said.
She even invested in that efficiency: She recently bought a hybrid car, though she admits picking a Ford Flex was a result of coronavirus-related supply shortages.
“There is a shortage in vehicles and this was in our budget, so I just kind of had to take it,” she added.
Andrew Feldman of Wayne (pictured above in your audio player) said the gas hike isn’t actually life-changing — not yet, at least.
“Right now, it’s like an extra dollar a gallon, which is kind of annoying and adds up, but it also hasn’t been long enough yet. I don’t think I’ve seen a drastic change.”
He drives a lot for work, so there’s not much he can do except figure it into his overhead budget. At some point, though, it could become an unsustainable expense.
“If it is like $6 a gallon, I’m probably gonna be driving way less,” he said.
Bob Mazzella of Norwood spent $50 on Wednesday to fill up three-quarters of his tank, but he said that’s the least he can do.
“The poor people,” he said of Ukrainians, “I see the mothers and the kids leaving the husbands to get on a train that have nowhere to go, and it’s horrible. Sleeping underneath railroad tracks — so we got to do whatever we can. I’ll pay it.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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