{"id":205259,"date":"2026-03-25T10:23:07","date_gmt":"2026-03-25T10:23:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/205259\/"},"modified":"2026-03-25T10:23:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T10:23:07","slug":"usf-commuters-say-rising-gas-prices-are-straining-their-budgets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/205259\/","title":{"rendered":"USF commuters say rising gas prices are straining their budgets"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>Gas prices have reached nearly $4 in Florida, raising concerns for USF students who commute throughout the week. ORACLE PHOTO\/HAYLEY REED<\/p>\n

Gas prices across Florida have surged in recent weeks, adding financial pressure on USF students who rely on their cars to get to campus.<\/p>\n

Rising prices are tied to higher crude oil costs driven by global tensions \u2014 especially the war in Iran, which has disrupted the Strait of Hormuz<\/a>, a waterway used to transport nearly one-fifth of global oil, according to the Associated Press<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Gas prices began rising in late February and early March as conflict in the Middle East escalated, according to AP<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Florida must import gasoline because it lacks refineries, which increases consumer costs, according to WLRN<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The average gas price in Florida as of Tuesday is roughly $3.92 per gallon \u2014 compared to less than $3<\/a> in February \u2014 with costs fluctuating slightly across the state, according to American Automobile Association data<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Some USF commuter students said this price spike is already noticeable at the pumps and in their pockets.<\/p>\n

Related: USF approves second out-of-state tuition hike in under six months<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Eric Chen, a senior computer science major, said he commutes from Wesley Chapel to USF twice a week.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Wesley Chapel is located about 15 miles from USF\u2019s Tampa campus, which Chen said is a roughly 30-minute drive each way.<\/p>\n

Chen said filling up his tank now costs nearly $15 more than it did a few weeks ago, when it only cost him $40.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s sad,\u201d Chen said. \u201cIt just kind of sucks seeing the price go up when you\u2019re doing the same thing every week.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the price increase has not yet significantly affected his budget, Chen said he believes it could soon become a financial issue for him and other commuting students.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt might not seem like a lot at first, but if you\u2019re driving to campus more often, it definitely starts to add up,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He added that rising gas prices limit what students can spend on and how much they can allocate to other necessities within their budgets.<\/p>\n

Chen said that while he only has to commute two days a week, he is upset about the costs and how they could affect him and other students financially over time.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor most students, spending more money on gas is not a good thing,\u201d Chen said. \u201cIt means they have less money for things they need, like books or other stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related: USF LAC scholarship recipients to retain funding through graduation<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Tyler Dunham, a senior computer science major, said he commutes to campus five times a week in a Hyundai Santa Fe.<\/p>\n

Dunham said he drives from Spring Hill, about 40 miles from USF Tampa \u2014 a trip that typically takes him an hour each way.<\/p>\n

However, Dunham said he recently started picking up a friend in Temple Terrace, which has added 15 minutes to his drive.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe stopped commuting because gas prices were getting too expensive, so we decided to carpool,\u201d Dunham said.<\/p>\n

Still, he said he is worried that rising gas prices could affect his ability to drive his friend, as the extra cost of picking him up is quickly adding up.<\/p>\n

Dunham said he fills up his tank twice a week and has seen a sharp increase in the price since last week.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor a full tank, I\u2019m paying around $60 to $65, compared to maybe $40 to $45 before,\u201d he said. \u201cIt hurts.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Chen said he has not felt the impact on his budget, Dunham said this spike has directly impacted his finances.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a student, I already have a tight budget,\u201d Dunham said. \u201cGas is something I can\u2019t stop buying, so when the price goes up, it just kind of hits you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dunham added that this cost has forced him to cut spending in other areas, including dining out or going out with friends.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have to be more careful with money, especially with food,\u201d he said. \u201cI can\u2019t spend as much on other things because I know I have to pay for gas.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added that frequent driving and commuting for school worsens this impact for him \u2014 and many other USF students \u2014 who have stricter financial limits.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you add it up over a month, that\u2019s a lot of money,\u201d Dunham said. \u201cThat could be a loan payment or something important.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Gas prices have reached nearly $4 in Florida, raising concerns for USF students who commute throughout the week.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":205260,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[135,137,136],"class_list":["post-205259","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205259","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=205259"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205259\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/205260"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=205259"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=205259"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=205259"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}