Out-of-control gas prices, carbon taxes, environmental collapse — they have all left people and businesses pondering ways to save money and looking to alternative means of going about their daily routines.

Anne Marie Thornton is the creator and operator of carpool.ca, an online ride-share program available in Kamloops and parts of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario.

As a direct result of skyrocketing fuel costs, Thornton said, her service has seen a dramatic increase in participation.

“There are about 300 people registered right now [in Kamloops] that are actively looking,” she said. “It is a great way for people to look at ways to save money because of fuel prices.

“Across Canada, we’re seeing more interest since gas prices have gone up. It’s something that’s good for our business in the sense that more people are interested in carpooling.”

Thornton noted the recent increase in activity on her site has been sharp.

“We would probably see anywhere from 25 to 50 per cent more people registering this year,” she said.

Throughout Canada, the program has 10,000 people registered and works by finding matches for people looking to carpool to certain areas of town on a daily to semi-daily basis.

“The savings are obviously financial. You’re saving money commuting by saving money on gas,” Thornton said.

“You’re saving wear and tear on your vehicle and you can save on parking costs as well.

“From an environmental standpoint, it’s great . . . There’s also less driving and less stress.”

Aside from carpooling, according to a report released by the city on spring ridership, transit use went up by four per cent in 2007, totaling approximately 500 new riders per day who are now utilizing the service.

Erin Felker, the city’s transportation planner, said high fuel prices and environmental concern are most likely part of the reason for the increase.

“We’re seeing a lot of regular everyday people using transit,” Felker said, adding the routes are getting busier and more people are pre-purchasing their bus passes.

Many people are also switching to scooters as their choice of transportation around town.

Angela Hambrook, owner of the Commuter Scooter Store on Tranquille Road, said the amount of increase in sales in just the last six months has been very noticeable.

“It has pumped up, certainly without question, probably about 60 per cent,” she said, but added she thinks that, along with gas prices, people are getting smarter about their environmental choices.

Hambrook believes scooters are a great way to get around town, but they do not replace the need to own a vehicle for hauling or long-distance trips.

“An electric scooter is not like any of the tools we currently have,” she said.

“It’s not a replacement for a car or a truck. A scooter is going to pick up all the other transportation that you use your vehicle for that you don’t need a vehicle for.”

The top-of-the-line scooter in her store costs about $2,500 and runs on battery power — an amount that easily pays for itself when factoring in the cost of filling up with fuel.

“They’ll carry up to 300 pounds, but I would like people to realize that a scooter is an add-on [to a vehicle] and it’s going to save you a lot of cash in the end,” Hambrook said.

This summer, Utah is implementing a mandatory four-day work week for most of its employees in order to cut back on that state’s carbon footprint.

Kamloops Mayor Terry Lake said he had not heard of the shift, but noted it could be something to consider in the future for certain sectors of business capable of adapting to the new schedule.

“I think that’s an option for people, but I think that would probably vary by employer,” he said.

“Certainly, with some of the larger employers like TRU and the City of Kamloops, it’s something they could consider.”

Lake pointed out that, in order to implement such a change, people would have to be willing to alter their daily routines.

“It’s nice if people have the flexibility to do that,” he said.

“It’s something we could look at by a business-to-business case and figure out ways to get people to cut back on their fuel emissions.”

But businesses such as trucking companies don’t have the luxury of cutting back on their fuel consumption and are feeling the squeeze of high gas prices.

Craig Palmer, terminal manager of Overland Freight Lines West, said his company has had to raise shipping costs just to keep profit margins stable.

“I would say the effect is more on the customer,” he said, adding they’ve increased their fuel surcharge by 41 per cent this year.

“We’ve just been going up and up and up, so the cost to the consumer is going up as well.”

Palmer believes people will soon start to purchase more goods locally, when available, in order to cut out expensive costs of having them shipped.

In addition, Palmer said, the company has been forced to delay purchasing new vehicles and equipment due to fuel costs.

“Like everything, we’re trying to save by using equipment longer, instead of making new purchases,” he said.

Even vehicle dealerships are feeling the impact of fuel costs.

“Truck sales are down, car sales are up. I think you’ll find that in any dealership,” said Clayton Andres, sales manager at Smith Chev Olds.

“Small- and compact-car sales are up dramatically.”

But, Andres said, the sector of business that has taken the biggest hit due to gas prices are its trade-ins.

“The biggest thing is it’s really hurting our used SUV and truck trade-in values,” he said, adding people will still need to drive trucks for hauling purposes and will find other ways to save money, rather than driving less.

“There are dealerships out there that are having a hard time putting a number on vehicles.

“It’s a game we play.”