(The following article by Richard Pearsall was posted on the Cherry Hill Courier Post website on August 31.)
CHERRY HILL, N.J. — For public transportation, the run-up in oil prices has been a double-edged sword.
Higher gasoline prices appear to be driving some people out of their cars and onto buses and trains.
NJ Transit reports a 6 percent increase in overall ridership between July 2004 and July 2005, the last month for which figures are available.
But its own energy costs are far outpacing the financial gains from those additional fares, said spokesman Dan Stessel.
Diesel fuel for buses, which cost $1.49 a gallon a year ago, now costs the agency $2.10 a gallon, Stessel said, while the lower-grade diesel fuel the agency’s trains burn has gone from $1.40 to $1.81.
While some drivers have switched, clearly most have not.
“Not yet,” said Mary D’Angelo, 56, a Gloucester Township driver who said her car is still her best way to get around. “But I’m thinking about it.”