Georgia bus company feels the pinch as gas tax returns: "It is almost unbearable"

The owner of Georgia Coach Lines, a bus company in Fayetteville, says rising fuel prices are putting major pressure on his business and others like his that rely on the road to make money every day.

Clarence Cox fears Gov. Brian Kemp's decision to not extend the suspension of Georgia's gas tax will make matters worse.

"Every trip we make comes with a bigger price tag," Cox says. "It is almost unbearable. We are trying to keep the doors open."

The company, which has been operating since 1985, transports groups across Georgia and up the East Coast, including frequent trips to Washington, D.C., the Carolinas, and Virginia. Cox said those long-distance trips have become much more expensive.

"We're paying somewhere around $5.30 to almost $6 a gallon in some areas," he said.

Instead of passing those costs on to customers, he said he spent a lot of time trying to cut fueling expenses behind the scenes. That includes signing up for fuel discount programs, monitoring idle time, and installing more tire pressure monitoring systems on buses.

"Any measures that we can take in-house, we're doing those things to reduce our operating costs so that we don't have to pass it on to our customers," he explained.

"We've been in business since 1985, and we have some very loyal customers as a result. We want to make sure those customers are taken care of as well, and it is very difficult to do that in this space," added.

He said many of the company's clients are schools, churches, and  community groups that already operate on tight budgets. Because of that, he says increasing prices is something they've tried hard to avoid.

"We have some very loyal customers, and we want to make sure those folks are taken care of as well," he said. "It's very difficult to do that in this space."

In the past, he offered discounts when organizations couldn't afford transportation costs, but now, with fuel prices remaining high, those conversations are becoming harder.

"Normally, they understand," Cox said.

Kemp has extended Georgia's gas tax suspension multiple times in the past, but this time he allowed the suspension to expire at 11:59 p.m. Monday.

Cox says while he understands the challenges facing the state and the money needed to repair bridges and roads, small businesses like his are now being forced to make difficult decisions. Still, he's grateful for what he was able to save on fuel costs as a result of the gas tax suspension.