{"text":[[{"start":7.9,"text":"US drivers have started cutting back their spending at the pump in an attempt to blunt the impact of spiralling petrol prices triggered by the Iran war. "}],[{"start":16.950000000000003,"text":"Between February and March average petrol sales per station in the northeastern US fell 4.3 per cent in March, compared with 0.6 per cent growth in the same period last year, according to data from Upside, which tracks consumer spending at more than 23,000 petrol stations across the nation. "}],[{"start":37,"text":"People are adjusting their habits by cutting back on filling up tanks, sharing rides and avoiding driving. "}],[{"start":43,"text":"Analysts say the data could be an early sign of demand destruction because of the Iran war, which has caused petrol prices to surge. Prices have risen 28 per cent since Tehran’s near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz, according to motoring group AAA, averaging $4 per gallon nationwide. "}],[{"start":60.85,"text":"“Consumers are trying to find ways to save,” said Tom Weinandy, principal research economist at Upside. “At the end of the day, they still have to get to work and take their kids to school — these are shortcuts.”"}],[{"start":72.6,"text":"These declines are to be expected in a region such as the North East, which includes metro areas including New York, Boston and Philadelphia as well as commuter transit options from smaller neighbouring states like Connecticut and New Jersey, said ClearView Energy’s Kevin Book."}],[{"start":null,"text":"
"}],[{"start":88.19999999999999,"text":"“It’s more likely to happen in dense urban areas with public transport options,” he said. “Having alternatives for your inflexible commute, as well as higher gasoline taxes, contributes to why we’re seeing this in the North East.”"}],[{"start":100.99999999999999,"text":"However, demand destruction is also occurring in regions where people are more car-dependent."}],[{"start":106.89999999999999,"text":"In the Rocky Mountains region, which includes Arizona, Colorado and Utah, sales slipped 0.3 per cent versus a 3 per cent increase the year earlier. While petrol sales per station increased in south-central states such as Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama, gains halved from 7.2 per cent to 3.6 per cent."}],[{"start":128.5,"text":"While demand destruction is less likely to occur in the US because of the size of the country and a lack of widespread public transport compared to Europe and Asia, consumers are straining under the weight of a wider cost-of-living crisis."}],[{"start":141.95,"text":"Americans’ inability to meaningfully sidestep higher petrol prices may blow back on US President Donald Trump, who faces midterm elections in November and promised to lower prices to $2 per gallon on the 2024 campaign trail. "}],[{"start":158.95,"text":"“When prices rise, drivers blame whoever is in office,” Book said. “There’s few markers of economic wellbeing that voters come into contact with more than petrol prices.”"}],[{"start":169.95,"text":"Drivers who cannot avoid making trips are finding ways to stretch their budgets — by buying cheaper fuel grades and putting less in their tanks."}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":177.95,"text":"Sales of premium and midgrade fuels, which are less likely to harm the engines of higher-performance engines by combusting too early, are down 7 per cent and 3.6 per cent respectively. "}],[{"start":189.95,"text":"While fuel transactions are up 10.7 per cent since the war started, fuel volume has only risen 2.2 per cent, suggesting drivers are making more frequent, smaller purchases rather than filling up their tanks all the way. "}],[{"start":203.85,"text":"Mental health worker Samantha Lott is reliant on her car for work, which involves driving to communities around North Texas. She said she has cut back on seeing friends and family in order to conserve petrol, taken on a grocery delivery job and started selling her blood plasma to help supplement her income. "}],[{"start":222.7,"text":"“I put $10 to $15 in my tank at a time and hope it’ll last until I get more money,” she said. “I joke that delivering groceries and selling my plasma is my gas job.”"}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":235.39999999999998,"text":"Meanwhile, fuel savings and carpooling apps have experienced explosive growth since the start of the Iran crisis, with downloads of consumer apps such as Gasbuddy, Mudflap and Upside rising 453 per cent, 95 per cent and 81 per cent respectively between February and March, according to data from market intelligence provider Sensor Tower."}],[{"start":256.45,"text":"BlaBlaCar, a carpooling app, grew 15 per cent in the same period."}],[{"start":261.5,"text":"Ann Clement, who runs Wyoming 211, a social services helpline, said her team is fielding increasing requests for their free ride service from people seeking transport to medical appointments."}],[{"start":274.2,"text":"“There are people driving hours to get to a weekly treatment, who are already struggling to pay for things like food and electricity,” she said. “The reality of an additional $1.50 per gallon means they now just don’t have the ability to pay for something like gas.”"}],[{"start":289.09999999999997,"text":"BloombergNEF estimates every month the strait stays closed causes about 2mn barrels of demand destruction globally per day. "}],[{"start":296.65,"text":"However, demand for petrol in the US is relatively inelastic, meaning drivers tend to keep buying it when the price rises."}],[{"start":304.75,"text":"According to official data from the US Energy Information Administration, which looks at how much fuel has left refiners for retailers, the week ending April 17 2026 recorded 358,000 fewer barrels per day than the same week in 2025. However, this decline is not stark compared with previous years, pointing to weak signs of demand destruction in the national data."}],[{"start":330.05,"text":"“It’s not as severe as you might imagine because [petrol demand] is inflexible,” said David Doherty, head of natural resources research at BloombergNEF. "}],[{"start":339.7,"text":"“The small things you can do, like carpooling and buying small amounts, don’t necessarily displace huge amounts of volume.”"}],[{"start":346.8,"text":"Data visualisation by Oliver Roeder"}],[{"start":357.25,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1777260468_4766.mp3"}