So far, there's no bump in forum traffic. That won't happen until it becomes an issue to the typical
American driver.
That said, there's yet another gas price headline in the Canadian national news this morning, but the takeaway is drivers aren't changing their behavior.
Unsurprisingly, one of the country's biggest fuel suppliers is also watching the situation very closely:
Quote:
Even with drivers griping about ever-increasing fuel bills, they show no sign of cutting back on their travels. "We're not seeing it. We're not seeing it at the moment. Demand from customers continues to be robust."
At some point, customers will react when prices climb too high, just as they usually drive more when prices fall significantly. But [the company spokesperson] doesn't seem to think current prices will impact sales.
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Also notable from the article:
Quote:
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When drivers do decide to change their behaviour, it's usually only for a short period of time before they return to their normal travel patterns. That explains why between 2012 and 2016, when oil prices spiked and then crashed dramatically, gasoline sales in Canada were relatively unchanged.
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So, demand is inelastic? What about the idea that cheap fuel and/or increasing efficiency causes people to drive more?
Someone even says there's no real effect from high prices on vehicle choices:
Quote:
"One of the things we have found in our research is that consumers change their buying behaviour for about three months when gas prices rise," said Rebecca Lindland, an auto analyst with Kelley Blue Book.
"So they will go to a smaller vehicle but then after about three months, people start buying bigger cars again.
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April sales of the Mirage in the States and the Micra in Canada were down vs. April last year.