California Drivers Could Get $800 Debit Cards To Offset High Gas Prices

High gas prices took a toll across the country with California experiencing the highest average prices. In an article in Cal Matters, a plan to help Californians survive these price increases is slowly emerging. To offset the costs, the Californian government plans to provide debit cards for fuel purchases, free or lower-priced public transportation, and any effort to delay fuel tax increases.

According to AAA, the median price for a gallon of gas in California is $5.91, which is $1.67 per gallon more than the national average of $4.24. A gallon of gas in California is $0.68 more than its nearest rival in Nevada where a gallon of gas averages $5.23. The cheapest gas can be found in Missouri where a gallon of gas is only $3.78 or $2.13 less than California.

In an effort to support Californians, Governor Gavin Newsom called for the distribution of funds to residents with registered vehicles to help curb the impact of these unusually high gas prices. The California government will distribute a $400 debit card to California with registered vehicles with a limit of two rebates per person. According to Cal Matters, the debit card won’t arrive until July with a total cost of $9 Billion to the state of California. California’s governor is also seeking to delay a gasoline and diesel tax hike that is expected to bring the state more than $1 billion in revenue.

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This assistance doesn’t just stop at car owners as legislators also want to help those who use public transportation. California plans to set aside $750 million to support local bus and rail agencies that will provide free public transportation for up to three months. This support will benefit the approximately three million Californians who use public transportation.

California is not the only government working to curb the impact of rising gas prices. Representative Mike Thompson (D-CA-05) introduced a bill earlier this month proposing paying people $100 per month when the average price of gasoline is above $4.00.

As gas prices continue to rise, these aid bills will only become more important in terms of cutting the cost of living to an affordable level.