LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — Nevada drivers are feeling the sting at the pump as gas prices hover around the $5 mark, forcing some families in the Las Vegas area to make tough choices and pushing others to look for alternatives such as e-bikes.

According to AAA, the cost of a regular gallon of gas in Nevada is a little more than $5. In Las Vegas, the average is $5.05 a gallon.

In North Las Vegas, parents Cheliese Mossett and Avigail Puente stopped for gas near Lake Mead and Losee, where prices significantly under $5 a gallon are hard to come by.

“They need to go down. Absolutely. Right now,” Mossett said.

Puente said, “I do not know what crisis is going on but they should lower them.”

Mossett, a medical courier who drives a minivan, said she can only spend $40 at a time and never quite fills her tank because she needs what is left to pay for her kids’ care. “It was already hard before. Now, it is getting ridiculous,” she said. Mossett also said it is time for the U.S. to pull out of Iran to drop prices back down.

Puente described weighing everyday purchases against the cost of fuel to get her child to school.

“I mean, it is over whether I want to buy my son a toy or a Happy Meal to where, well, those five or ten dollars could go in my car to get him to and from school so it is pretty outrageous,” Puente said.

7 Eleven Station in North Las Vegas (KSNV)

As some families struggle with fuel costs, an e-bike shop owner said he is seeing more customers trying to save money by riding instead of driving.

“We have had a big uptick in 20, 30, 40 year-olds that are looking to save money,” said Eric Olsen, owner of Epic E-Bike Adventures.

Olsen said he launched his business recently and has reported some of his best sales in the last month, which he tied to when the U.S. began its war with Iran. He said this month’s sales are 50% better than the month before. The bikes cost between $1,000 and $2,000.

Epic E-Bike Adventures (KSNV)

Olsen said his customer base has increased beyond retirees looking for recreational trail rides.

“We get a lot of people that are starting to use them for Uber Eats in that 20, 30, 40 year-old demographic,” Olsen said.

Olsen said he stopped using a car a few years ago and found the costs added up quickly.

“I was paying car payments, insurance, gas, maintenance all of it. Within a month its about the same price as a bike. Most of our bikes are below $2,000. Very low maintenance and so it is just a great alternative. I throw Uber in there if I am going out. And all around, I am saving 500-600 a month just riding my bike,” Olsen said.

Olsen said e-bikes are also drawing hospitality workers and others looking for a quick way to cut commuting costs. He said most of the bikes in his shop get about a 50- to 80-mile range, and described one rider’s commute between Boulder Station and Mandalay Bay.

“Most of our bikes get about a 50 to 80 mile range. So I know one guy yesterday was talking. He goes from Boulder Station to Mandalay Bay and back. And the battery will make it the full round trip. And he still has 20 to 30 percent on his battery,” Olsen said.

E-bikes may not work for everyone, particularly parents who need to pick up young children from school and may face challenges related to passenger seating and time.

Olsen said the bikes are street legal and max out at 28 miles per hour. He adds they come with a two-year warranty that covers just about everything except brakes and tires. Olsen also said his store will not repair e-bikes that have been modified to go faster.