The economic boom in mainland China and the war in Iraq are not as far removed from the daily drives of hundreds of commuters making their way in the Wood River Valley every morning and afternoon.
As their vehicles click off the miles, as they creep and crawl in the heavy drive-time traffic and as their vehicles slurp ever-costlier gasoline, costs of their commutes are affected by China's demand for a greater share of the world's oil supplies and by the U.S. military's enormous appetite for fuel in the war.
These in turn help create a pinch on world supplies and jack up prices as shortages develop.
Savvy commuters are discovering that it's literally money in their pockets to begin using the expanded PEAK bus service that serves the valley from Bellevue to Sun Valley.
New stops have been added, new buses are operating and the results are showing—a 4.2 percent growth in passengers was recorded over last year.
Depending on makes of vehicles and their fuel efficiency, commuters could pocket hundreds of dollars a year in fuel savings by using PEAK bus.
By purchasing a monthly pass for $60, as an example, a regular commuter making a roundtrip every day for four weeks (40 trips total) would pay $1.50 per trip, well under the going average price of a gallon of gasoline.
Even the one-way fare of $2.25 is under what the most economical gasoline costs per gallon these days.
Truly, commuters are finding PEAK performance for their dollars in taking the bus.
