My point was there is an alternative to bottled water. I can buy tap water which is cheaper. But as long as I am purchasing anything, I am purchasing fuel. Fuel costs are passed on to all of us in the price of goods, even for those people who don't drive. That's why the "bottled water is expensive/ coffee is expensive" arguments are strawmen.
Yes, like food and shelter, there are some things that must be purchased to survive in today's modern world. Are you really wanting to live in a world that does not have energy use?
Way back in my freshman macroeconimics class my instructor mentioned the availability/scarcity of alternatives in commodity pricing. You're right, the fact that there really is no alternative to gasoline for transportation fuel means that the only thing the consumer can due is change behavior (& b*tch).