The average price of gas in metro Atlanta topped $4 a gallon Friday, and the effects are being felt on the street.
Take Giedrius Gatautis, owner of Atlanta Ice Cream Truck, who normally roams far and wide looking for customers. These days, he’s working routes closer to his Midtown Atlanta home. Why drive to the suburbs, he asks, if he’s not guaranteed a lot of buyers.
Turnover is up among drivers who pay for gas to use his trucks, he added, because they can't make a profit. Others have cut low-sales routes to focus on school zones when classes let out.
AAA reported gas jumped from just under $4 on Thursday to just over that mark on Friday. That's up a dime from a week ago, 34 cents from a month ago, and $1.17 from a year ago. It's not far from the all-time high for regular unleaded here -- $4.11, on Sept. 16, 2008.
There are signs prices could fall. The current wholesale gas price, which drives future retail prices, suggests it should drop a quarter or so at some point. But, warns AAA spokesman Troy Green, wholesale prices have been "extremely volatile."
The volatility is wreaking havoc for the unprepared.
AAA reports that its road service calls for vehicles out of gas were up 21 percent from February to May this year, compared to the same period in 2010. Service calls for other problems are flat. Spokeswoman Teresa Hildebrand said drivers may not be fill up as often, then forget to look at the fuel gauge.
Others are monitoring their gas consumption closely.
As the name suggests, youth travel sports teams travel. But with gas prices up, some are go less often and not as far.
The North Georgia Barons, a 16-and-under baseball team, used to go to five out-of-town tournaments a year, head coach Larry Muratore said. This year, they’re going to just two showcases, where college scouts can check out the players.
When they go, the Barons will fill a rented 16-seat van. Muratore expects fewer SUV-driving parents will accompany the team, whether it’s to the Nashville or Columbus, Ohio showcases, or to a more local game. They used to drive their kids themselves, but Muratore wanted to make sure gas costs weren’t a concern as the team made plans.
“Gas just got ridiculous,” he said.
The Barons host their own tournament the week of Memorial Day. In the past, six or seven teams would come from Alabama or Tennessee. This year, just two Tennessee teams are making the three-hour drive. The rest of the participants are from metro Atlanta.
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