San Luis Obispo County now has the highest gas prices in California, beating out Los Angeles and San Francisco that have not hit a $4 average since 2015. Across the county, gas averages $4.061 as of Thursday, April 11.
The average gas price per gallon in California is $3.94 as of Thursday night. The U.S. average for gas on the same day is just a little over $2.75 per gallon, according to GasBuddy.
John Karimaghayi is the owner of the Valero on Higuera Street where regular fuel costs $3.93 per gallon when customers pay with cash.
“I’m trying to be the lowest and the way they’re going up the last two days it’s hard,” Karimaghayi said.
In the past two days, Valero had to add about 18 cents on their gas prices, according Karimaghayi.
California Regular Gas Prices
Source: GasBuddy
Agricultural and environmental plant sciences senior Jacob Corr said his group of friends started discussing carpooling to school with this latest gas spike.
“They’ve got us trapped and I will most likely use the bus and bike to campus more often so I’m not driving all the time,” Corr said.
Currently, the cheapest gas station in San Luis Obispo is Costco at $3.69 per gallon. Conserv fuel and Karimaghayi’s Valero gas stations are runner ups with Costco, with Conserv at $3.89 per gallon paid in cash, according to GasBuddy.
At the top, Chevron on Monterey Street is currently charging $4.39 per gallon, 45 cents more than the city average.
“Gasoline prices saw their biggest weekly jump of 2019 with the national average now at its highest point since mid-December as oil prices continue to advance, while such jumps are in line with expectations, that doesn’t make them any easier to digest,” GasBuddy head of petroleum analysis Patrick DeHaan said in a news release.
California is one of the three states in the U.S. to see the highest hike in gas prices along with Hawaii and Washington.