Syracuse University students who drive to and around campus won’t see gas prices dropping anytime soon.

Gas prices are projected to fall below $3 a gallon in many states in November and December but not in New York, where prices remain the 7th highest in the nation, according to a Sept. 26 Christian Science Monitor article.

Gregg Laskoski, a senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy, said New York state has the highest taxes in the United States and that is why gas in New York is so expensive. GasBuddy is a company that tracks gas prices based on online statistics and federal reports. States like New Jersey, Arizona, Virginia and other southern states have more of a chance of seeing gas prices fall below $3 a gallon, Laskoski said.

By following annual consumption trends on gasoline, global crude oil, refinery output and retail gasoline prices on a weekly basis, it is projected that gas prices do not have a chance of decreasing in New York any time in the near future, Laskoski said.

The average cost for gas in New York state is $3.62 a gallon, according to GasBuddy.com. Laskoski said that most of their information is from newyorkstategasprices.com, as well as information from the federal government’s weekly report.

The difference in prices will have an effect on commuter SU students. Al Sauer, the director of parking and transit services at SU, said in an email that about 1,500 students commute to campus and the department has sold 3,758 student parking permits for this school year to date. That number has been relatively consistent with sales over the last few years, he said.

Sauer said gas prices would likely have an effect on the number of people who drive on campus, though permit sales have remained relatively consistent.

Katelyn Holbrook, a senior communications and rhetorical studies major, commutes 45 minutes to campus from Oswego two or three days a week. In order to try and save money on gas, she said she tries to carpool or get rides from family members.

Nicole Caicedo, a junior chemical engineering major, said gas prices influence how much she drives because there are other things she needs to pay for.

“I think it is a lot of money because New York is already expensive as it is but it would be ideal if gas prices would go back to a more reasonable price,” she said. “I just try to run errands in places where everything is close to each other.”

Currently, the lowest price for gas in Syracuse is $3.25 a gallon at BJ’s, Citgo and Sam’s Club. The lowest price for gas in New York state is $3.10 a gallon in Irving, about 177 miles away from Syracuse, Laskoski said.

Laskoski added that the time of the year when gasoline is the cheapest is between Thanksgiving and Christmas, costing anywhere between $3.10 and $3.20 a gallon.

Published on October 2, 2014 at 12:01 am

Contact Lauren: lmdoyle@syr.edu