As the July 4th weekend approaches, many Bay Area residents are preparing to take to the streets and when they do they will pay for it.
Gasoline prices have skyrocketed, exceeding the $ 5 per gallon range in some local locations. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, people will pay even more from Thursday.
It’s post-pandemic cheers and San Jose-resident Snowy Farcy is feeling the pain on the pump.
“I remember when I got gas for $ 40. Now it costs me about sixty dollars and my car was almost empty, ”she said.
The high prices are fueled by demand.
According to the AAA, more than 43 million people across the country will be driving on this holiday weekend. This is the second highest number of Independence Day trips of all time, after only 2019.
For many travelers, the coronavirus vaccines have set them free.
“The vaccine is optimistic. It works and works fine. There is also global demand for crude oil as well as optimism that travel is coming back, ”said Sergio Avila of AAA Northern California.
The average price for a gallon of normal is about $ 4.35 in Oakland and San Jose, and even more in San Francisco. That’s about $ 1.20 more per gallon than it was at this time last year.
“I wish it was a little less. So I could drive more, especially if you have a long trip or road trip, ”said Tam Nguyen, a San Jose resident.
There are even reports that gas stations are actually running out of fuel when there is no shortage.
“Refineries are producing almost record amounts of gasoline, the problem is getting truckers to deliver it as quickly as necessary,” said Patrick De Haan of GasBuddy.
The National Tank Truck Carriers said there has been a driver shortage for years and the pandemic has forced thousands of truckers to find other jobs. Still, travel experts said the failures won’t be widespread.
“The point is simply to go to the next station. This will affect less than 1% of the nation’s 150,000 stations,” said De Haan.
AAA said gas prices are expected to continue to rise this summer.
In fact, gasoline prices are guaranteed to rise on Thursday when the state’s excise tax goes into effect on July 1st. The good news is that it’s only about half a cent per gallon.