Gasoline prices climb in VW, statewide

VW independent/submitted information

Gasoline prices in Van Wert are, for the most part, significantly lower than the state average, according to figures released Monday.

The low price locally is at Murphy USA’s station in the Towne Center shopping center, where gasoline is selling for $2.72 a gallon today. That’s 14 cents lower than the state average of $2.86 a gallon, according to GasBuddy’s daily survey of gasoline prices on Sunday. The highest price locally is at the Shell station on South Washington Street, which is selling gasoline at $2.89 per gallon — three cents above the state average.

The next lowest price is at the Pak-A-Sak Marathon station on South Shannon Street, at $2.73 a gallon. The Lassus Handy Dandy station and the One Stop Shop, both on North Washington Street, are selling gasoline for $2.74 a gallon, while the Pak-A-Sak Marathon station on North Washington has gasoline for $2.76 a gallon. The Marathon station at the Brookside convenience store at 1301 West Main Street and the Short Stop Sunoco station on East Main Street have gasoline selling for $2.79 a gallon.

Average Ohio retail gasoline prices has risen 7.6 cents per gallon in the past week, according to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 5,345 gas outlets in Ohio. This compares with the national average, which has increased 4.3 cents per gallon in the last week to $2.92 per gallon, according to gasoline price website GasBuddy.com.

Including the change in gas prices in Ohio during the past week, prices Sunday were 52.9 cents per gallon higher than the same day one year ago and are 17.4 cents per gallon higher than a month ago. The national average has increased 16.1 cents per gallon during the last month and stands 56.8 cents per gallon higher than this day one year ago.

“For all those that have said summer travel will be unaffected, we offer thousands of respondents who have strongly indicated that’s not true, especially as gas prices continue to climb,” said Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy. “For the first time in years, the annual GasBuddy Summer Travel Survey revealed that higher prices are hurting the tradition of the summer road trip as we near a national average of $3 per gallon.

“It’s no shock as we continue to see price hikes in 49 of the nation’s 50 states in the last week,” DeHaan added. “And what rings true is that with such a big jump in prices, motorists are absolutely becoming more price conscious as they make plans this summer. High gas prices are starting to eat away at the travel plans of many, and the number will likely rise as gasoline prices appear poised to continue moving higher in the weeks ahead.”

In addition, GasBuddy found that summer travel is poised to plunge as a result of high gas prices, according to GasBuddy’s 2018 Summer Travel survey. According to the annual survey, only 58 percent of respondents said they will take a road trip this summer, a 24 percent decrease from last year, while 39 percent cited high gas prices for impacting their summer travel decisions, compared to 19 percent in 2017. In addition, there is a big change coming for summer travel, according to the survey. The full press release on the survey is attached or can be accessed at here: https://www.gasbuddy.com/NewsRoom/PressRelease/623.