TWIN FALLS, Idaho — DoorDash driver Whitney Goodrow says filling her V8 from a quarter tank to full recently cost her more than $120.
With gas prices surpassing $5 a gallon in Magic Valley, food delivery drivers and Twin Falls public transportation are feeling the financial strain of higher fuel costs.
Whitney Goodrow has been DoorDashing for about six months but recently lost her job and now relies on it full time.
"It's miserable," Goodrow said.
The cost of keeping her V8 running has become a constant pressure.
"To fill up my car — and I only went from a quarter to full — it was over $120," Goodrow said.
A full tank lasts Goodrow about four days of driving.
"And I have a bigger engine; it uses more fuel, so it's like I worked to put fuel in my car," Goodrow said.
To cut down on mileage, Goodrow has started declining delivery orders that take her outside of Twin Falls.
"When it was four dollars a gallon I was stressing, and now it's five dollars a gallon, so it's a lot," Goodrow said.
The pressure isn't limited to gig workers. Mandy Thompson administers the Ride TFT microtransit service for the City of Twin Falls and says she's watching the situation closely.
"Do I foresee people utilizing Ride TFT in lieu of driving their own cars because of the cost of gas? Possibly, absolutely," Thompson said.
Ride TFT operates eight vans — soon to be nine — and charges a standard fare of $3 per ride, with discounted options available for seniors and riders with mobility needs. The service is on track to provide more than 100,000 rides by the end of the year.
Thompson said fuel costs have not yet exceeded the service's budget, but are approaching the high end of what was anticipated for each month.
"You know, if we get to the point where we're starting to exceed that month, and we're gonna have to have a conversation about whether or not we're gonna be able to supplement that," Thompson said.
Because Ride TFT does not recoup its operating costs through fares, Thompson said she does not expect riders to see a change to the $3 standard charge — at least not without a conversation before the City Council.
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