The Van Wert County Courthouse

Thursday, Mar. 28, 2024

Lowest VW gas prices lower by a nickel

VW independent/submitted information

Most local gasoline prices are approximately a nickel lower than last week, with Murphy USA again having the lowest price at $2.21 a gallon, down from $2.26 a gallon last Sunday. The local Murphy station also has the lowest price in the area, as prices rise in other communities in the area. Most of the area stations are now selling gasoline at $2.30 a gallon or higher.

The One Stop Shop station on North Washington Street was second lowest in Van Wert at $2.23 a gallon, while two stations, the Pak-A-Sak Marathon station on South Shannon Street and the Shell station on South Washington Street, were at $2.24 a gallon. The Pak-A-Sak Marathon in the 800 block of North Washington Street is selling gasoline at $2.25 a gallon, as is the Lassus Handy Dandy station farther north on Washington.

The Marathon station at the Brookside convenience store on West Main Street is selling gasoline at $2.29 a gallon, which is also the average price in Ohio this week, while the Sunoco pumps at the Short Stop convenience store are still selling gasoline at $2.39 a gallon, a price that has remained steady for several weeks.

Average retail gasoline prices in Ohio have not moved in the past week, averaging $2.29 per gallon on Sunday, according to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 5,345 gas outlets in Ohio. This compares with the national average that has fallen 1.1 cents per gallon in the last week to $2.50/g, according to gasoline price website GasBuddy.com.

Including the change in gas prices in Ohio during the past week, prices Sunday were 16.9 cents per gallon higher than the same day one year ago and are 17.3 cents per gallon lower than a month ago. The national average has decreased 7.3 cents per gallon during the last month and stands 22.0 cents per gallon higher than this day one year ago.

“Even as oil prices were in rally mode to end last week, gasoline prices continued lower with the national average moving lower for the third consecutive week,” said Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy. “But March typically comes in more like a lamb and goes out like a lion, and I certainly would expect more fireworks at the pump as temperatures begin to warm and gasoline demand begins to perk up.”

“Many places have seen at least the first step towards summer gasoline already made,” DeHaan added. “Unlike the transition from summer to winter gasoline that is much simpler, the transition to the more strict fuel coming into the regulated summer months is a bit trickier, especially considering the amount of work going into refineries ahead of the summer driving season, which is more like the running of the bulls where refineries try to stay ahead of the rise in demand.

“No matter what happens with oil, any curve ball to this work has a tendency to act as a spark in the combustion process — something will likely ignite gas prices, but it’s unpredictable when and to what degree,” DeHaan noted.

POSTED: 02/26/18 at 8:31 am. FILED UNDER: News