The skyrocketing price of petrol has left local businesses struggling to find ways to absorb increased costs.
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Unleaded petrol was selling for 199.9 cents per litre in Bendigo on Friday and is expected to tip over the $2 mark within the next few days.
Among the organisations feeling the pinch is Bendigo Taxis which may have to increase fares to cover the petrol price increase.
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"At this stage we are absorbing the cost," Bendigo Taxis manager Colin Wells said.
"We try to keep any fare increases to a minimum amount-wise and frequency-wise.
"We try to adopt a once-a-year review around December but we can't absorb these price rises for another six months.
The price of both unleaded and diesel fuel has accelerated in recent weeks following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Mr Wells said while the conflict hadn't helped matters, petrol prices were going up before the war began.
He said the easing of COVID-19 restrictions had seen people leave home and get moving again.
"Airlines are looking for fuel with flights starting up again," Mr Wells said.
Mr Wells said taxi fares went up in December 2021 and in November 2020 but before that there had not had a fare increase in 10 years.
"Do we bite the bullet and put them up now or forego any further increases until end of the year," Mr Wells said.
"We may not be able to hold out until December."
Bendigo Taxis also runs 10 wheelchair taxis which are expensive to run, even with the diesel fuel that was at 211.9 on Friday.
"A wheelchair taxi can pick up someone in Ironbark and take them to Kangaroo Flat, and then turns around and drives back (to the depot) without a passenger," Mr Wells said, which means it is spending time on the road using petrol without a fare to cover the cost.
"A sedan does the same trip but can pick up a fare in Kangaroo Flat for the trip back."
Mr Wells said everyone's affected by the petrol price rise, from freight to food delivery.
"There's no one that's not hurting from fuel prices," he said.
Bendigo Foodshare operates three vans picking up and delivering food around centre Victoria
"They clock up a lot of kilometres and as a charity we need to cover the significant increase in fuel prices with our fundraising through the community," Bendigo Foodshare manager Bridget Bentley said.
"It (the increase in petrol prices) is having a real impact on us."
Ms Bentey said at the moment it was business as usual for Foodshare in its delivery of food relief to organisations in the region with the help of donations and volunteers.
However, as rising petrol prices hit the household budget, she could envision a scenario where demand for food relief would grow.
"The feedback we're getting (from food relief organisations registered with us) is that demand is really strong and the number of people coming in (seeking assistance) was growing," Ms Bentley said.
The City of Greater Bendigo is also doing its best to absorb the cost of rising petrol prices within its vehicle fleet and plant equipment.
"There's no material impact in the short term and the city will manage petrol price fluctuations within the existing operating budget parameters," the city's presentation and assets director Brian Westley said.
There may be some short-term relief with speculation the federal government will be forced to cut fuel excise of 44 cents a litre to help keep the cost of living pressures down in the run-up to the May election.
But treasurer Josh Frydenberg was not going to get into the "rule-in, rule-out game" just a few weeks out from the March 29 budget.
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