Rachel Gould spends $50 on gas taking her two special-needs children on the three-hour trip from her home in Central Illinois to a hospital in St. Louis. That is roughly a 60% increase from the same time last year.
“You have to have gas and have to pay for it either way you look at it,” said Mrs. Gould, who drives a Dodge Caravan that gets 23 miles to the gallon.