Area service industries, commuters, feel the pinch of high fuel costs

SUSSEX COUNTY - Day by day, the rising prices of gas and fuel are affecting businesses and commuters, many of whom must drive lengthy distances in order to make a living. The impact is particularly pronounced on service-related businesses. “It affects the bottom line a lot,” said Susan Lucio, who owns Sparta Limousine and Taxi. “The price of gas cuts into whatever profit I make. I think it affects the transportation industry more than any industry. But it will affect every industry; people will not travel as far as they do, and airline prices will go up. Therefore, the airline travel will be affected.” “I had to raise my prices to offset the cost, and it’s getting to the point where it’s almost easier for the customer to park at the airport now,” added Mike Cogavin, who has owned Patrick’s Limousine Service in Sparta since 1983. “The corporations have a certain budget and if it gets too expensive for them, then they make their employees drive and park at the airport. And eventually, the airline prices are going to go up, too.” Last year, gas prices went from an average of about $1.95 a gallon to better than $3 a gallon for a brief period in September, when refineries and oil wells were shut down by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. By the end of 2005, the price of gasoline had dropped to just $2 per gallon in some places, but since mid-winter of this year, prices have been back on the rise, threatening but, in New Jersey, at least, not breaching the $3 barrier for a gallon of regular. Local and municipal governments have had to budget extra money into their spending plans, which has affected local property taxes as well. But is it possible for service-related businesses to plan ahead by rescheduling their appointments based on geographical proximities? “You can’t tell somebody that they can’t lock their house for a week,” responded Wanda Michaud, a locksmith with Sparta-based Sussex County Lock & Safe. “Our calls come from all over, anyway. We have not changed any prices at this time, but if things keep going like this, we may be forced to.” Working people have to cope, too. Some try to make fewer trips on errands or combine more errands into fewer trips, sometimes making stops on the way to or from work. But since many or most Sussex County residents work at out-of-county jobs, the rising cost of commuting cuts into their take-home pay. “It really does restrict us,” said Hamburg resident Terry Vujosevic. “What about the poor mother working two jobs to keep food on her table? What does she do now? Eighty percent of us are working class people. Most of us don’t have savings accounts. “We don’t have mass transportation. It affects us more than most people who live where they can hop on a train or a bus, like Bergen or Essex County. Most of us do work 30-somewhat-plus miles from home.” “It’s crazy,” agreed Sandra Budz, also of Hamburg. “To fill up my little car—that’s not even a full tank—it costs me over $30.” With many oil companies reporting large profits recently, the possibilities of price gouging have become an issue again. “Absolutely. They’re making huge profits,” said Vujosevic, who feels that the recent leveling off on gas prices are attributable to President Bush’s warning about a possible windfall profits tax. “That’s what the stink is about. “The other alternative is for people to work 10-hour days, four days a week,” Vujosevic concluded. “That would save gas consumption — I mean, a considerable amount of gas. Let (employees) do some of their work from home. People have computers, cell phones and E-mail.”