Obed Manuel
Worried About Running Out Of Gas This Labor Day Weekend Or In The Next Two Weeks? Boy, Have We Got A Solution For You, Dallas!
If you spent a good chunk of your Wednesday evening or Thursday morning waiting in line to get gas, you’re clearly not alone. Check your social media feed and you’ll see all your friends freaking out about gas stations running out of that sweet, sweet petrol.
We’re going to let you in on a secret, though: There’s no shortage! People telling you that are dirty, rotten liars.
Really, the only “shortage” that’s going on right now is the one being caused by people trying to keep their tanks topped off during this time of panic. To that end, sure, it’s likely there will be a little less supply at some area gas stations — yes, with some even “running out” of gas for a time — and longer lines, too. But all that’s really happening is that stations aren’t getting enough deliveries a day to keep up with the current demand. And there’s lots of demand caused by this panic! In fact, one area gas station announced this morning that it had sold 15,000 more gallons than it usually does.
But there’s one Dallas entity not worrying about the gas shortage: Your local public transportation provider, Dallas Area Rapid Transit.
We just spoke to DART media representative Mark Ball, and he tells us that DART always maintains a bus fuel supply that’s good for 30 days. So it’s pretty unlikely they’ll run out of fuel as this “crisis” rides out over the next two or three weeks of temporary shortages and increased gas prices.
“The thing we’ve gotten the most calls about is people wondering if our buses are going to run out of fuel,” Ball says. “People don’t have to worry about that because our buses run on compressed natural gas and we have a supply of it already on our property.”
And as for the light rail transit system? Well, that runs on electricity. So unless there are massive power outages around the city, the trains will be running on schedule, too.
One caveat, though: Come the Labor Day holiday on Monday, there will indeed be fewer DART services available, as bus and light rail routes alike will be running on a Sunday schedule.
But, listen, if you’re looking for a way to save your gas for when the work week starts back up on Tuesday morning, use the bright yellow resource already at your disposal! Even if this fake gas situation creates an overwhelming demand for public transport, Ball says DART is always ready to schedule more bus routes and more frequent trains as needed.
“It’s actually good that we have a holiday on Monday,” Ball says. “A lot of our employees, they’ll be home and available to be called in if there’s a sudden demand for service.”