Saint Louis University commuters and other students who depend on their cars might experience financial difficulties when filling up their tanks due to rising gas prices across the Midwest.

“A couple of weeks ago, I really started to notice how much the prices went up,” said freshman Jackie Ruhman. As a commuter, driving to SLU every day from Ballwin in West County really puts strain on her wallet, she said.

According to Ruhman who drives a Saturn Sedan, before gas prices rose, she could fill up her entire tank for eight dollars. “It really makes me mad because now I spend up to 10 dollars to fill up my tank and the gauge only reads three-quarters full,” she said.

In fact, Illinois actually stopped taxing their gas as high as usual. Due to rising gas prices, the Illinois Senate decided to drop the state sales tax on motor fuel Wednesday, March 8, according to postnet.com. The tax that Illinois and only nine other states put on motor fuel adds about nine cents per gallon, based on current gas prices.

Before this tax cut, the Metro area consistently had higher gas prices than Missouri. Currently, gas prices in St. Louis are around $1.51 per gallon. In Illinois, however, the prices average $1.47 per gallon.

Junior Jeron Roberts is also upset by rising gas prices. “I’m beginning to wonder how high prices are going to get,” she said.

As a commuter from Glen Carbon, IL, Roberts has experienced the effect of the tax drop. “It’s only, like, four cents lower than Missouri, but it helps,” Roberts said. Now she tries to fill up her tank in Illinois as opposed to Missouri, where she previously purchased her gasoline.

On March 20, Roberts filled up her tank at a Mobil in St. Louis. At $1.51 a gallon, it cost more than 15 dollars.

Roberts recalled this time last year, when gas prices were at an extreme low. “Now, it’s the exact opposite,” she said. “I am, for sure, participating in the gas-out.”

Roberts referred to the gas-out planned for April 7, which she heard about through e-mails. For three days, April 7 to 9, people, in an effort to lower gas prices, will not purchase any gasoline. According to the e-mail, gas-outs have worked in the past and hopefully bring an end to high gas prices.

Roberts says that she is encouraging all of her friends and co-workers to participate in the gas-out. According to Roberts, if enough people, including SLU students, get involved with the event, “a dent could really be made in the high gas prices.”