For Jack Nooney, the nine-mile commute from his San Fernando Valley apartment to his job in Santa Monica is a daily exercise in endurance. In the gridlock of Los Angeles, those few miles often translate into a full hour of idling in traffic. But lately, the mental toll of the commute has been eclipsed by the financial one, as surging gas prices in Los Angeles push the city’s historic love affair with the automobile to a breaking point.
Nooney, a musician and full-time grocery deli employee earning $20 per hour, is among thousands of Angelenos watching their budgets evaporate at the pump. Whereas the average price in the region has climbed to nearly $5.90 a gallon, some local stations have spiked as high as $8.00. According to the International Energy Agency, these costs are tied to a massive supply disruption in the global oil market stemming from the conflict in Iran.
The price hikes are not merely a temporary spike but a compounding pressure. As spring arrives, California gas stations are required to transition to a “summer blend” formula. While this blend is designed to be more environmentally friendly in high temperatures, This proves more costly to produce—a premium that is passed directly to the driver.
The art of the coast
Faced with these costs, drivers are turning to unconventional, often granular, ways to save. Nooney has turned his manual transmission into a tool for efficiency. On his southbound trip toward West Los Angeles, he shifts into neutral and coasts down the steep declines of the I-405 to preserve fuel. He repeats the process northbound toward Sherman Oaks.
“It seems to help a little bit,” Nooney said. Beyond his driving habits, he has become a strategist, scouting for the cheapest fuel near his home rather than risking the higher prices typical of Santa Monica stations. The frugality extends beyond the car; despite a 50% employee discount at the deli, Nooney now packs a sandwich for lunch. “With fuel costs and everything else so expensive, right now it’s just about saving wherever you can,” he said.
For the city’s creative class, the financial strain is particularly acute. Los Angeles maintains one of the highest concentrations of independent artistic talent in the country, many of whom operate on razor-thin margins. When Nooney’s band plays gigs in West Hollywood, the group now carpools exclusively to keep the venture viable.
A blow to the touring economy
The impact is felt equally by those managing the talent. Chris Hardin, a Burbank-based music manager, noted that the volatility of the market has made traditional tour budgeting nearly impossible. One of his clients began a month-long tour just as the conflict in Iran intensified; by the time the tour concluded, the cost of fueling large trucks and buses had surged beyond their contingency plans.
“We always leave wiggle room; we always plan for contingencies. That’s just part of this business,” Hardin said. “But in more than 20 years doing this, having gas prices rise this much this quickly is definitely a first for me.”
Hardin has adjusted his own habits, opting for a motorcycle for his daily commute to work several times a week. However, he still relies on his car for a weekly 80-mile round trip to teach as an adjunct professor at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks. Because his classes end late, he chooses the expense of gasoline over the safety risks of a late-night motorcycle ride.
The tiny business squeeze
While individuals can coast or carpool, professional drivers are trapped by the necessity of the road. Jenise Blanc and her husband, Randy Chance, have operated Canyon Car Service for 25 years, specializing in pickups and drop-offs at LAX. With a small fleet and six employees, the business is heavily dependent on fuel.
Blanc has begun leaning more heavily on the two electric vehicles in her fleet, but the majority of her cars still run on gas. Unlike larger corporations, Blanc feels unable to implement aggressive fuel surcharges without risking her client base.
“It’s really tough being a small business, because you can’t simply tack on a considerable fuel surcharge because of what’s going on,” Blanc said. “We pay our drivers well and we’ve been successful because people trust us.”
Blanc fears that raising rates—potentially by $5 to $10—could alienate the repeat customers and referrals that sustain the business. For now, the company is absorbing the costs while hoping for a market correction.
Fuel Cost Impact Summary
| Stakeholder | Primary Strategy | Key Constraint |
|---|---|---|
| Commuters | Coasting/Carpooling | Fixed work locations |
| Touring Artists | Shared Transport | High-volume vehicle needs |
| Car Services | EV Integration | Client price sensitivity |
| Gig Workers | Reducing Hours | Minimum wage thresholds |
The current crisis highlights a growing fragility in the Los Angeles lifestyle. For former Uber drivers like Nooney, the math had already become difficult before the recent surge. He recalled a time when he had to drive 12 hours a day just to cover basic living expenses. Now, as he seeks a job transfer to a store closer to home, the goal is simple: reducing the number of miles between his paycheck and his front door.
Attention now turns to the coming weeks as the full transition to summer-blend gasoline takes hold across the state. Market analysts and drivers alike are watching for any signs of stabilization in global oil supplies that could ease the pressure on West Coast pumps.
Do you have a strategy for beating the pump in LA? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.
