Some drivers seeking workarounds as gas soars to highest prices in 4 years
With the national average for a gallon of gas hitting the highest prices in four years on Thursday, some consumers say they're finding it difficult to afford to top off their tanks.
The national average for a gallon of regular gasoline reached $4.30 on Thursday, a jump of 8 cents a gallon overnight and $1.33 a gallon since the war in Iran began on Feb. 28, according to AAA.
"That's the highest level since July of 2022. We're only 16 cents a gallon away from that $4.50 a gallon mark," Patrick DeHaan, the head petroleum analyst for GasBuddy, a company that helps consumers find the cheapest gas, told ABC News.
But some gas stations have pumped up gas prices even higher. At one San Francisco Shell station, regular was going for $7.15 a gallon.
DeHaan said the pain at the pump that consumers are feeling is tied to the shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz, the critical maritime passage between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman for oil and international trade.
The strait is currently on lockdown amid a U.S. naval blockade and ongoing threats from Iran.
Given the stalemate in peace negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, DeHaan said, "We'll continue to see oil go up and up and up until somebody blinks."
"The national average will probably hit $4.50 a gallon here in the next week and it could get uglier," DeHaan said. "There's still the possibility that we could reach new records for gas prices in the weeks ahead if the strait does not reopen."
As she put gas in her car on Wednesday at a Cincinnati gas station selling regular for $4.79 a gallon, Mardi LaForce said she can no longer afford to fill up her tank.
"I'm gonna put in $25 just to be on the safe side. Twenty-five usually gives me a half a tank," LaForce told ABC Cincinnati affiliate station WCPO.
Demitrius Brook, a landscaper, told WCPO that he ran out of gas as he came off the Columbia Parkway in Cincinnati and rolled into the nearest gas station he could find.
"I got a can, and I got about $4 worth I'm putting in there," Brook said.
He said he feared that if gas prices continue to go up, it's "gonna break me down."
In Wisconsin, the average price for a gallon of gas was $3.96 on Wednesday, up 27 cents from last week, ABC affiliate station WISN in Milwaukee reported.
Filling up his vehicle at a Gas Depot in Milwaukee, where the price this week hit $4.19 a gallon, Traveontate Thomas complained of sticker shock.
"Man, it was a big surprise," Thomas told WISN, adding that he had no choice but to pay the price.
Younas Mohammad, owner of a Milwaukee Gas Depot, told WISN that in his 30 years in business, he's rarely seen gas-price hikes similar to those now occurring.
"It's very bad. It's up and down. Most of the time, it's up," Mohammad told WISN. "Some customers are really complaining, but there's nothing I can do."
Under Wisconsin's minimum markup law, Mohammad said he has to add 9% to the price he paid wholesale for gas, which as of Thursday was $4.03 a gallon.
In parts of California, some consumers said they've parked their cars and have started riding public buses.
"It's only 2 bucks, way cheaper than gas," one bus rider told ABC affiliate station KSBW in Monterey, Calif.
Monterey-Salinas Transit reported this week that it has seen a 12.7% jump in bus ridership since the war began, up from a normal increase this time of the year of 3%.
"That's a safe and affordable alternative to pouring money into your gas tank," Monterey-Salinas Transit CEO Carl Sedoryk told KSBW. "You can perhaps keep that money in the bank."
Sedoryk said 20% of his agency’s heavy-duty buses are powered by renewable electricity and the remainder are powered by biofuel.
“So, we’re not necessarily using fossil fuel, so those prices react a little bit differently to the current market," Sedoryk said. "But prices are still going up even in those areas."
