Accessibility links
Paying at the Pump Gas prices remain high -- with no end in sight. NPR takes a look at how people across the country are coping with the gas crunch, the factors behind skyrocketing oil prices, what's being done to bring them back to earth and cost-cutting strategies to employ in the meantime.
Special Series

Paying at the Pump

Saturday

Economy Often Leads Us Down Wrong Path

The spate of bad economic news has changed the way we make economic decisions. NPR's Yuki Noguchi visits a used car dealership where drivers are trying to unload their gas guzzlers. Then, economist Dan Ariely discusses why so many of us make economic decisions that are so wrong.

Economy Often Leads Us Down Wrong Path

Listen
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/92259328/92259319" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Wednesday

Fed Up at the Pump? Take the Bus

Los Angeles is notorious for its car culture. Most people would rather sit in traffic than get on a bus or the subway. But high gas prices are changing those attitudes. For a look at some transportation alternatives, Farai Chideya talks with Dave Sotero, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Association.

Fed Up at the Pump? Take the Bus

Listen
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/92144075/92144059" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

BMW Takes Next Step In Fuel Efficient Cars

Rising gas prices are forcing consumers and the auto industry to make drastic changes. Toyota and Honda are known for their popular hybrid gas-electric cars. Now, BMW is introducing the first hydrogen-powered luxury performance car.

BMW Takes Next Step In Fuel Efficient Cars

Listen
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/92144072/92144058" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Tuesday

Gas Station Owners Under Pressure

Tired of high gas prices? Well, so are gas station owners. We continue our Road Trippin' series by speaking with David Griffith, Shell service station owner, and our economics contributor Keith Reed, of The Cincinnati Enquirer.

Gas Station Owners Under Pressure

Listen
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/92087061/92087049" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Pain at the Auto Plant

Americans are trading in their oversized gas guzzlers for more fuel efficient cars. How does that affect workers at our nation's auto plants? To gain some insight, Farai speaks with Claire McClinton, an auto-worker for General Motors.

Pain at the Auto Plant

Listen
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/92087068/92087050" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Monday

Analysis

What's Behind Soaring Gas Prices?

News & Notes kicks off a week-long series focused on America's gas and oil crisis with economics contributor Bill Spriggs. He offers an economic overview and breaks down hot button issues like oil speculation and offshore drilling.

What's Behind Soaring Gas Prices?

Listen
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/92033447/92033443" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Road Trippin': Perspectives at the Pump

Our week-long series, Road Trippin', is focused on the causes and impact of rising gas prices. On the air, Farai Chideya speaks with a psychologist, a taxi driver, and a car dealership owner to get their firsthand accounts. On our blog, we get insight from drivers at a local gas station.

Road Trippin': Perspectives at the Pump

Listen
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/92033452/92033444" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Friday

Cheap Gas in Mexico Lures U.S. Motorists

With gas prices now topping $4 a gallon in much of the United States, some are taking advantage of cheap fuel across the border in Mexico. Big pickups with Texas plates are streaming across the border into Mexico to fill up with cheap gas.

Cheap Gas in Mexico Lures U.S. Motorists

Listen
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/91748758/91748709" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Saturday

As Gas Prices Rise, Trains See Record Ridership

With record gas prices, traffic congestion and airline aggravation, passenger trains are filling up. Amtrak reports ridership and revenues are at an all-time high. Don Itzkoff, former deputy administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration, talks with NPR's Scott Simon.

As Gas Prices Rise, Trains See Record Ridership

Listen
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/91514644/91514622" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Ford Taurus: Case Study in Unlovable Gas Efficiency

When gas prices rise, auto manufacturers respond. Consumers aren't always happy with the outcome, however. John Heitman, professor of technology at the University of Dayton, talks with NPR's Scott Simon.

Ford Taurus: Case Study in Unlovable Gas Efficiency

Listen
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/91514647/91514623" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Monday

Thursday

Public Transit Ridership in Miami Grows

For most people in Miami, public transportation means the bus. Expanding public transit is a hot political issue, with communities north and west of the city clamoring for the rail system to be extended. Ridership is up, but at the same time, the county is grappling with rising costs and a big budget shortfall.

Public Transit Ridership in Miami Grows

Listen
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/90289444/90289412" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

L.A. Drivers Ditch Cars for Subway

Southern California commuters are being hit hard by some of the highest gasoline prices in the nation. And, like commuters elsewhere in the country, many of them are turning to mass transit for relief.

L.A. Drivers Ditch Cars for Subway

Listen
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/90289441/90289411" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Saturday

Big Gas Prices Lure Buyers to Small Cars

Americans are buying small cars at a rate not seen since the energy crisis of the 1970s brought the Pinto and the Gremlin. Industry analysts point to soaring gas prices as the reason for the trend. Csaba Csere, editor in chief of Car and Driver magazine, talks with Andrea Seabrook.

Big Gas Prices Lure Buyers to Small Cars

Listen
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/90160628/90160594" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript