Philly-Area Transportation Businesses Squeezed by Rising Gas Prices

Soaring fuel costs impact private transit companies, pilots, and commuters across the region

Apr. 6, 2026 at 9:55pm

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

An abstract illustration featuring overlapping triangles and rectangles in shades of dark gray, blue, and orange, conveying the financial pressures facing the transportation industry due to high gas prices.Soaring fuel prices squeeze Philadelphia-area transportation businesses, limiting services and raising costs for consumers.Philadelphia Today

Gas prices in the Philadelphia area have climbed above $4 per gallon, putting a significant strain on transportation businesses and their employees. Jess Declet, owner of private transit company Wingmom South PA, is seeing her drivers decline longer trips due to the high fuel costs cutting into their earnings. At the New Garden Flying Field airport, pilots are now paying around $6 per gallon to fill up, leading the director of aviation to warn that sustained high prices could deter people from learning to fly.

Why it matters

The rise in gas prices is creating financial pressures across the transportation industry in the Philadelphia region, from private transit companies to general aviation. This could lead to service reductions, higher costs for consumers, and fewer people pursuing activities like flight training that rely on affordable fuel.

The details

Jess Declet, the owner of private transportation company Wingmom South PA, is seeing her team of 65 drivers decline longer trips because the cost of fuel is cutting too deeply into their earnings. Meanwhile, at the New Garden Flying Field airport, pilots are now paying around $6 per gallon to fill up their planes, with the director of aviation warning that sustained high prices could deter people from learning to fly.

  • On Monday, the average price of regular gasoline in the five-county Philadelphia region was $4.15 per gallon, up 19 cents in the past week.
  • Nationally, the average gas price sits at $4.11 per gallon.

The players

Jess Declet

The owner of private transportation company Wingmom South PA, which provides rides for about 1,500 clients across Delaware and Chester counties.

Jon Martin

The director of aviation at New Garden Flying Field, a small regional airport in Toughkenamon, Chester County that is home to about 130 planes and dozens of student pilots.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“It hurts for sure to fill up. It's costing me well over $70 to fill up my tank.”

— Jess Declet, Owner, Wingmom South PA

“The higher the cost of fuel, the higher that we're going to have to charge more for people to learn to fly.”

— Jon Martin, Director of Aviation, New Garden Flying Field

What’s next

Experts warn that if gas prices remain high, it could lead to further service reductions and higher costs for consumers across the transportation industry in the Philadelphia region.

The takeaway

The surge in gas prices is creating financial strain for transportation businesses and their employees in the Philadelphia area, potentially leading to service cuts, higher costs, and fewer people pursuing activities like flight training that rely on affordable fuel. This highlights the broader economic impacts of rising energy prices on local communities.