Americans across the country are feeling the squeeze at the gas pump as a surge in fuel prices ripples through communities large and small. The spike, driven by the ongoing war in Iran and its disruption of oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, has not only hit wallets but is also nudging some drivers back toward public transportation—a trend not seen so starkly since before the pandemic. Yet, the impact is uneven, and the nation’s car-centric infrastructure poses stubborn hurdles to a mass transit renaissance.
According to Grist, the national average price of gasoline soared past $4.50 per gallon as of May 18, 2026, with California drivers facing an eye-watering $6.15 per gallon on average. The pain is especially acute in places like northern Douglas County, Illinois, and Kingsbury County, South Dakota, where, as NBC News reports, prices reached as high as $4.87 a gallon—an 87% jump since the conflict began. In stark contrast, Scott County, Indiana, saw a relatively modest increase of just 77 cents per gallon over the same period. Georgia, which suspended its 33-cent state gas tax in March, posted the second-lowest state-level increase at $1.25 per gallon, while Illinois led the nation with a $2.03 per gallon jump.
The driving force behind these surges is no mystery. Since the U.S. and Israel launched a joint war against Iran on February 28, 2026, the cost of crude oil has spiked dramatically, swinging with every headline about supply chain disruptions or diplomatic developments. Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, told 10 News, “The national average price of gasoline spent much of last week drifting lower after jumping early in the week as oil prices softened on hopes that diplomatic progress between the U.S. and Iran could help ease supply concerns. However, that optimism faded after President Trump’s meeting with China’s Xi Jinping failed to produce a breakthrough on Iran, while renewed warnings toward Tehran have helped push oil prices higher again.” He added, “With global oil inventories continuing to trend toward historically tight levels, markets remain extremely sensitive to geopolitical developments and potential supply disruptions. As a result, gasoline and diesel prices are likely to remain volatile, and with Memorial Day approaching, any sustained increase in oil prices could begin pushing retail fuel prices higher again in the weeks ahead.”
In Virginia, the average price for regular gasoline reached $4.322 per gallon on May 18, with premium and diesel at $5.152 and $5.551, respectively, according to AAA data cited by 10 News. Some counties, such as Botetourt, Highland, and Nelson, are experiencing regular gas prices of $4.32, $4.49, and $4.403 per gallon. Roanoke saw prices climb by 5.6 cents in just a week, now standing at $4.22 per gallon—a full $1.33 higher than a year ago. Deals still exist for the eagle-eyed: Sam’s Club and BJ’s in Roanoke offered regular gas at $3.93 per gallon, while the lowest statewide price was $3.82 and the highest a staggering $5.89.
But for many, the question is what to do about it. The answer, for a growing number, has been to turn to public transit—where it’s available. In California, transit agencies in San Diego, Los Angeles County, and the San Francisco Bay Area have reported sharp increases in ridership in recent weeks. The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, which received an emergency loan from the state in February, saw its highest ridership totals since the pandemic this March. Mark Olson, a spokesman for the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System, told Grist that gas prices probably drove the 6.5 percent jump in ridership the agency experienced in March compared to the previous year. “A lot of our riders are low-income, and certainly gas prices can be much more sensitive to lower-income residents and riders,” Olson said. The agency, facing a $500 million budget deficit over the next four years, has even launched a commute calculator to help people compare the cost of driving versus public transit.
Other parts of the country are seeing similar, if less dramatic, shifts. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority in D.C. and Valley Metro in Texas have also reported ridership increases, as have intercity passenger rail operators like Amtrak and Brightline. These trends echo findings from a study by Hiroyuki Iseki, an urban studies and planning professor at the University of Maryland, who found that when gas prices climbed 10 percent over 13 months, light rail ridership increased by 1.2 percent and bus ridership by 0.8 percent. The psychological impact is real, too: Iseki’s study showed that when gas prices jumped by 10 percent and crossed the $3 per gallon threshold, mass transit ridership increased by about 1.2 percent; when prices pushed past $4, light rail ridership jumped 9.3 percent.
Yet for all the headlines about rising transit use, the reality is more complicated. Michael Roccaforte, a spokesman for San Francisco MTA, cautioned that it’s still too early to draw a direct link between higher gas prices and increased ridership, but called the return of riders to Muni “a promising sign.” Meanwhile, UCLA urban planning professor Michael Manville pointed out that switching to mass transit isn’t as easy as it sounds for most Americans. “It’s one thing to say, ‘Look, I’m just not going to drive quite as much as I used to,’ in a discretionary way,” Manville explained to Grist. “It’s quite another for the typical person to then say, ‘I’m not gonna drive to work. I’m gonna figure out how the bus works.’”
There’s a deeper, structural issue at play. Since the end of World War II, U.S. cities have been designed around the car, with transit accounting for less than a third of federal transportation funding. As of 2017, a staggering 87 percent of trips in the U.S. were made by car. “We made a bunch of policy decisions that turned them into bad masters, but they are also good servants,” Manville said of automobiles. “You throw the family in them, and you don’t have to worry about the chaos of your kids and all their stuff.”
Policy advocates like Elisa Ramirez of Transportation for America argue that until the federal government treats mass transit as a true priority—with consistent funding and robust service—most Americans will continue to see driving as their only real option. “Time is money, and even though people can afford a $2 fare, they can’t afford to be late for work or miss doctors appointments,” Ramirez said. “For most Americans, driving is not optional, and that’s my big thing. How much does gas impact people moving to transit? First we need to have reliable transit.”
Meanwhile, polling consistently shows that gas prices and the broader economy are weighing heavily on voters’ minds as the midterm elections approach. A recent survey found that nearly two-thirds of Americans see gas prices as a major problem. With Memorial Day just around the corner and the global oil market on a knife’s edge, it’s clear that the price at the pump—and the choices Americans make in response—will remain at the center of the nation’s conversation for the foreseeable future.