6.26.2008

Oil Shock: Analyst Predicts $7 Gas, “Mass Exodus” of U.S. Cars

Oil at $135? That was just the opening skirmish in the “peak oil” wars. The latest smart money? $200 oil in 2010, with gasoline at $7 a gallon. And that is going to turn Americans into car-shunning Europeans once and for all—poor Americans, at least. That’s the latest gloomy forecast from Jeff Rubin at Canadian brokerage CIBC World Markets, who just a few months ago figured $200 oil would be a thing of the distant future—like 2012.

6.16.2008

Gas Prices Boost Ridership, Costs for Mass Transit

As the cost of gasoline continues to rise, more people are using public transportation. But transit officials have been surprised to see big rider jumps even in areas where people don't usually take the bus or train. That's especially true in North Carolina's car-choked areas of Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill. And the jump is straining transit agencies' resources.

6.9.2008

Gas hits national average of $4 for the 1st time

The average price of regular gas crept up to $4 a gallon for the first time over the weekend, passing the once-unthinkable milestone just in time for the peak summer travel season. Prices at the pump are expected to keep climbing, especially after last week's furious surge in oil prices, which neared $140 a barrel in a record-shattering rally Friday.

5.29.2008

Workers shifting to 4-day week to save gasoline

"By allowing employees to work four 10-hour days it will save them 20 percent on their commute costs and ease the financial pinch of filling up their cars," said Patterson, who last week proposed the compressed week for county workers.

4.23.2008

Suddenly, It's Cool to Take the Bus

Nothing, however, has done as much for their cause as today's record prices for petrol. Employees who once sneered at the "bus people" or "bike freaks" are clamoring to sign up for all manner of company-subsidized transportation programs. "Every time gas prices rise, I get more and more employees who are taking our car pools or van pools or shuttle buses," says Schering-Plough's (SGP) transportation chief Sheila Gist. This new golden age has Gist in overdrive, scheduling new routes for what has become Schering's own in-house transit system. In the past year alone, Gist says, ridership is up by as much as 40%. Companies are big on breaking the car addiction because doing so raises productivity, amps morale, and delivers much lusted-after green cred.

9.10.2007

Microsoft Launches Private Bus Service- Windows Included

Microsoft has introduced a 14 bus fleet to keep employees happy, out of bumper-to-bumper traffic, and reduce air pollution and traffic congestion. "It is a great corporate decision to take a look at where the transportation system isn't meeting the needs of your commuters and fill in the gaps," said John Resha, general manager of the Urban Mobility Group,

3.10.2007

Google’s Buses Help Its Workers Beat the Rush

The company now ferries about 1,200 employees to and from Google daily — nearly one-fourth of its local work force — aboard 32 shuttle buses equipped with comfortable leather seats and wireless Internet access. Bicycles are allowed on exterior racks, and dogs on forward seats, or on their owners’ laps if the buses run full.