For most people, I think the actual cost of the gasoline to get to and from work is quite small. Go ahead and figure it out - how many miles do you drive to/from work each week? And how much does that cost you for gasoline? Even in an SUV it is likely far less than other costs associated with getting to and from work. How much does auto insurance cost a month? How much does your car payment, or depreciation, cost a month? And most important, given the hourly rate you earn on the job, multiplied by the number of hours you spend commuting each week, how much is the cost of that? Gas is still a small percentage of the overall, unless you are a traveling salesman or something.
One can even argue that, for many people, higher gas prices could save them money overall. If traffic decreases say 20% due to people consolidating trips, it could cut as much as 40% off commute times. Figure out the savings by multiplying the number of hours saved commuting per week times your hourly wage. Then compare to the extra cost at the pump. I think many will be pleasantly surprised.
One can even argue that, for many people, higher gas prices could save them money overall. If traffic decreases say 20% due to people consolidating trips, it could cut as much as 40% off commute times. Figure out the savings by multiplying the number of hours saved commuting per week times your hourly wage. Then compare to the extra cost at the pump. I think many will be pleasantly surprised.