Brace yourself: Gas could reach $4 by Memorial Day
Drivers, get ready to pay more at the pump this year. Gas price tracking site “GasBuddy” is predicting 2018 prices will be the highest since 2014.
According to GasBuddy, the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded in California is $3.32. However, the company believes gas prices will tinker around the $4 mark by Memorial Day.
It’s a common scene on the Central Coast, drivers logging major miles to and from work.
“Any given week, probably 200-300 miles,” said roofer Earl Deal.
“I live in Greenfield and I work at the post office on Alisal,” said Alejandra Hernandez.
These drivers will tell you, you’re lucky if you can find a place selling gas under $3. But don’t get used to it. GasBuddy predicts gas could reach near high levels.
“For the simple reason that OPEC has cut oil production and that has led to lower oil supply and thus, higher prices,” said Patrick DeHaan, GasBuddy’s Head of Petroleum Analysis.
That means higher prices for everyone, but especially for drivers in California, with the gas tax kicking in last fall.
“Not everything is guaranteed in life but gas prices going up in spring is one of those things that you could probably put into the same category as death and taxes,” DeHaan said. “Gas prices go up every spring because refineries do maintenance work and perhaps more importantly, especially in California, they switch to a more experience carb-mandated gasoline. It’s one of the nation’s most stringent and usually since those two are occurring at roughly the same time, it can almost add up to a double whammy.”
He expects it could be $4 a gallon by the end of May.
That’s not good for these drivers. Deal runs a roofing company that takes him from South Monterey County to the Monterey Peninsula to Santa Clara County.
“It’s really going to hurt me,” Deal said. “I pay more for my gas because all of my vehicles are diesel. I have no gas vehicles so, I’m paying $3.59 a gallon right now. If gas is going to go up to $4 a gallon, what’s diesel going to do?”
And Hernandez traded in her Honda Pilot SUV for a Honda Fit.
“I’m going to have to pay for gas,” Hernandez said. “If it’s $4, it’s $4. I’ll keep driving around to find cheaper gas.”
Shopping around is exactly what gas buddy recommends. They say the spread between what stations charge can be up to $1, so keep looking around for the best prices.
