Local gasoline prices drop a few pennies

VW independent/submitted information

Most gasoline prices in Van Wert are at or below the state average, with just two stations a penny or two above the average of $1.97 per gallon.

The lowest price in the city was $1.91 a gallon at both the Murphy USA station in the Towne Center shopping center and the Pak-A-Sak Marathon station at 1052 S. Shannon St. The Lassus Handy Dandy station in the 800 block of North Washington is selling gasoline for $1.92, while the Pak-A-Sak Marathon station on North Washington has gasoline at $1.93 per gallon.

Three stations, the new Casey’s General Store station at the corner of Ervin Road and Washington Street, the Shell station on South Washington, and the One Stop Shop station in the 200 block of North Washington, were all at $1.95 a gallon, while the Short Stop Sunoco station was selling gasoline at $1.98 a gallon this morning, and the Brookside Marathon station on West Main Street had gasoline at $1.99 a gallon.

Gasoline prices in Ohio fell 5.1 cents per gallon in the past week to an average of $1.97 per gallon on Sunday, according to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 5,345 stations in Ohio. This compares with the national average, which has increased six-tenths of a cent per gallon versus last week to $2.24 per gallon, according to GasBuddy.

Including the change locally during the past week, prices Sunday were 43.3 cents per gallon lower than a year ago and are 13.7 cents per gallon lower than a month ago. The national average has dropped 10.4 cents per gallon during the last month and stands 29.1 cents per gallon lower than a year ago.

“The national average price for gasoline has seen little change in the last week in most areas, but this period remains the calm ahead of the storm, especially if China’s trade deal pans out into a larger trade agreement with the U.S.,” said Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy. “The transition to summer gasoline, a three-month process, will begin in the weeks ahead, so the current period is still the calm before the storm. 

“If a broad trade agreement with China does come to pass, that will enhance the normal rise of 35-75 cents per gallon that we see nationally from February’s low prices to Memorial Day weekend’s prices — so what you see today will likely feel like a completely different world than what we expect near Memorial Day.”