MARK WAITE / PVT Ann Richards logs her miles after pulling into the Pahrump Senior Center. MARK WAITE / PVT Gasoline hovered at and over $3.50 for unleaded this past weekend in Pahrump. RELATED STORY AAA tips on saving gas Advertisement

Driver Ann Richards pulled into the Pahrump Senior Center Wednesday with a van still bearing that new car smell, after picking up seniors at home, taking them to the center for lunch and back home again.

Richards logged her mileage for the day just driving around Pahrump -- 85 miles.

Pahrump Senior Center Transportation Supervisor Don McIntosh said the Nevada Division on Aging Services likes to encourage the elderly to go into the senior centers for lunch for some socializing, perhaps a game of cards, some exercise or arts and crafts, than to stay at home.

But the sign on the door to the transportation directors office recommends seniors pay a suggested donation of $8 for local medical visits and shopping, $20 for trips to medical visits in Las Vegas.

Senior center drivers chauffeur seniors around Pahrump five days per week for shopping and medical trips. Three times each week senior center drivers take an average of five clients into Las Vegas for doctor's visits.

"In February we had 318 passengers. In March we had 464. On an average week with three days of transportation to Vegas, we do 500 to 600 miles per day. Without the Vegas trips we do an average of about 400 miles per day," McIntosh said.

The senior center drivers fill up at the county gas pump, but those prices aren't much of a break.

Ordinary gas station prices continued their rise to $3.55 per gallon for regular unleaded gas this week. The first quarter of 2007 the Pahrump Senior Center paid $5,943.19 for gas. For the first quarter of this year, the bill almost doubled to $9,708.17.

Pahrump Senior Center President Jim Gronemann said it's a rigorous screening process for Meals on Wheels, another senior program where a week's worth of meals are dropped off to the homebound. Drivers visit the north side of Pahrump Tuesdays, traveling around the south side on Thursdays. It's a suggested $2 donation per meal, the same cost as lunch at the senior center.

The senior center delivered 1,876 meals in March, 1,953 in February and 2,233 in January. McIntosh said the Meals on Wheels customers must have a doctor's certification they're actually home bound.

"Old management used to play the game, 'satisfy everybody no matter what they wanted.' Well, it has stopped because we can't accommodate it, we can't afford it. We must at this time take a look at our operation and how we can utilize the vehicles in an economical manner," McIntosh said.

The senior center might provide rides to the Pahrump doctor's offices daily -- a few riders require thrice-weekly dialysis treatments -- and they might make shopping runs maybe Tuesdays and Thursdays, Gronemann said.

They might combine trips. If possible, they'll use a van instead of the bus. He reminded seniors it's not a personal taxi service.

"People are pretty receptive, they know what the price of gas is. I think they're, if anything, getting more grateful at least the transportation is still there," Gronemann said.

Secure Horizons cut back its transportation program to one trip per month, within a 60 mile radius, McIntosh said. Senior Dimensions shut down its transportation program entirely, he said.

Gronemann said he hasn't had pressure from the Nye County Commission over the gas budget.

"They've been real supportive of the center, especially in the last two years," he said.

Nye County School District Transportation Director Cameron McRae has fewer choices.

Schoolchildren have to ride the bus, though McRae said he streamlined bus routes. Ridership is also up due to the gas prices, he said.

"Our buses are full. Sometimes people believe they're overcrowded," McRae said. "We don't have a number of the buses air-conditioned but we do try to control our idling time. So all those things assist in improving your gallons per mile."

McRae said his gas bill is still up 40 percent over last year. School buses travel about 1.4 million miles per year, with the mileage on an 84-passenger vehicle averaging about seven miles per gallon, he said.

In the remote areas of the county, two regular 50-passenger buses shuttling students to Eureka High School or Duckwater Elementary School were replaced with 20-passenger models, McRae said.

"School district registration isn't up, but bus usage is up. My average in the first seven years is about 40 percent of the available, eligible populace ride. This year it's up. There's no question the rising fuel price has driven fewer parents to take their kids to and from school," McRae said.

"I'm over budget on fuel, there's no question about it. But my overall maintenance budget -- I may squeak by, I may not."

Area store clerks reported some irate customers. One customer in Tonopah even assaulted a clerk at Giggle Springs Convenience Store last November when gas prices were increased by 10 cents while he was pumping gas.

Don Trudeau, owner of Saitta-Trudeau Chrysler Jeep Dodge, said he noticed buying habits change three months ago.

"Our market here used to be about 75 percent truck and 25 percent car, and our sales are probably 50-50 right now," Trudeau, who's had a Pahrump dealership since spring 2000, said. "We're seeing trucks and sport utilities getting traded in on mini-vans, four-cylinder and six-cylinder cars."

While auto makers like Dodge are coming out with hybrid vehicles, Trudeau said most of the savings in a hybrid car is in city driving, and the hybrid vehicles have a much higher sticker price. That hybrid doesn't help the gas mileage much driving on Highway 160 into Las Vegas every day, he said.

"We've seen significant decreases in the resale (value) of the sport utilities. The bigger the sport utility, the harder it's been hit. Big sport utilities are probably worth 25 percent less than the same vehicle would've been six to eight months ago," Trudeau said.

On the other hand, he said small compacts like the Dodge Avenger, the Chrysler Sirius and the Dodge Caliber have been hot-selling items. "We can't keep them on the lot right now."

Erin Ford made a presentation to the Pahrump Town Board in November 2006 to solicit support for a van pooling program sponsored by Enterprise Rent-a-Car.

Under the plan, five to seven people who live in the same area in Pahrump who work similar schedules in the same part of Las Vegas share the monthly rental of a Caravan or Windstar van. One passenger is appointed as the driver.

"We've had some interest from people out in the Pahrump area and we're trying to work with their employers here in Las Vegas," Ford said. "The main thing is we need to try to fill a van. We can do a car too, but it's beneficial if we do a van."