(NewsNation) — With gas at record-high levels, some people are trading four wheels for two.
The national average for a gallon of gas has reached $5 per gallon, according to GasBuddy. With commuting getting more expensive, people across the nation are turning to bicycles as an alternative for getting around.
“Where I drive to is just work and back,” one person said to NewsNation. “Everywhere else, I just use my bike now.”
“I don’t plan on doing any traveling this year because of gas prices,” another person said.
Bike sales have gone up in some cities, although some bike shop owners told NewsNation that supply chain delays have slowed down their business. Some places have have been waiting for parts for months because of snarls in the supply chain, something that has been seen in many industries because of the COVID pandemic.
Jim Gardner, CEO of Good Karma Bikes in San Jose, California, said demand for commuter bikes is through the roof, NewsNation local affiliate KRON reported.
“(Demand is) more than we have ever seen in 13 years. It’s been tough for us to keep up with demand right now,” Gardner said.
Bloomberg reports that electronic bikes have also recently been seeing a boom. Pedego CEO Don DiCostanzo, who oversees the e-bike brand’s dealerships, told Bloomberg they’re seeing a “big spike” in orders coming in way ahead of the season.
“Every month there’s another record,” he said, according to Bloomberg. Although he told the news outlet the increase in orders isn’t all because of fuel, DiCostanzo said the high price of gas is “acting as a catalyst to get more people to consider alternate forms of transportation.”