Johnson County drivers find ways to batch errands as gas prices keep climbing

MISSION, Kan. — KSHB 41 reporter Elyse Schoenig covers Johnson County. She also focuses on issues surrounding the cost of healthcare, saving for retirement and personal debt. Share your story idea with Elyse.

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Some drivers in Johnson County are changing the way they get around as the average price of gas in the county climbed to $4.22 per gallon Friday, according to an NBC News tracker.

That's $1.65 more per gallon than when the war in Iran started in February.

For Janice Owens, a senior driver on a fixed income, the rising prices have forced her to rethink every trip she takes.

"I can no longer afford gas. It's gotten to that point," Owens said.

Owens now batches her errands together to avoid making separate trips. She maps out her day carefully before even leaving home.

"I can't (just) run to the store. I can't run to the cleaners. I have to make sure that I do all of those consecutively to save gas," Owens said.

The financial pressure has pushed other drivers to make even bigger changes. Isai Beltran said the cost of filling up his truck became too much to manage.

"I had to actually get rid of my truck because gas was getting way too expensive," Beltran said.

Beltran said he was spending up to $80 each week on gas before making a change.

"It drove me to spend a couple thousand more to get a different car to spend less on gas," Beltran said.

Some local businesses also are responding to the crunch. Drivers who fill up their tank at Hy-Vee in Mission receive a free wash at Royal Shine Car Wash across the street.

Michael Ahlers, general manager of Royal Shine Car Wash, said the deal makes sense for customers already stretched thin at the pump.

"They're spending already a lot on gas, why not pair that with something that is just as good — getting your car clean," Ahlers said.

Janice Owens said rising prices make her lots of her decision-making more important.

"We love to eat out. I mean, we're at that age, and so we can't do it as we used to do it because we're spending our money even on gas," Owens said.

Her number one piece of advice for anyone trying to stretch their budget at the pump is simple.

"I have to plan. I cannot do it without planning," Owens said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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