Unfortunately for drivers, the Redwood Curtain isn’t a completely impenetrable barrier from the outside world. The ongoing Iran War has forced the price of crude oil to exceed $100 a barrel, up from about $70 before the war’s start. Gas is edging $6.50 a gallon here in Humboldt; the price of diesel threatens to climb to a dizzying (probably false) summit of $8 per gallon. 

Anecdotally, I’ve heard people chattering about alleviating their gas station-induced misery by taking advantage of the public bus system, perhaps commuting to work and back every day. But it doesn’t sound like too many of them have actually taken the ride. 

It usually takes several months of elevated gas prices before a noticeable amount of people start taking the bus, the Humboldt Transit Authority’s deputy general manager Katie Collender told the Outpost in an email. If the price of gas stays high, she predicted more people would “definitely” start taking the bus more often. 

Has public transportation usage has increased anywhere else? We couldn’t find an answer to that anywhere. It may be too soon to tell.

Nationally, the average price of a gallon of gas is a tad over $4. The last time that happened was in 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

Collender hasn’t responded to a request for follow-up information.