The average for a gallon of regular unleaded here in California has dipped to $4.30. Here in the valley it's down to $4.26.
Brian Haskett and his girlfriend commute from Visalia to Fresno during the week. The price at the pump is a problem for them. "It was like $4.09, $4.15, $4.20," Haskett said. "It's crazy."
So he and several other drivers lined up at the Super 7 gas station on Belmont and Maple in southeast Fresno Monday.
"We looked on GasBuddy, to find the cheapest gas," he said. At $3.99 per gallon GasBuddy.com said this is the lowest price for a gallon of regular gas in the Fresno area.
"Thought I would fill it up before gas goes up again," Sherry Bentancourt said. She bought a motorcycle about a month ago, partly because of the rise in gas prices. She told Action News she's now saving about $30 a week, but she's always looking for more savings.
Bentancourt stopped at the Super 7 specifically because of the lower price. "I'm a single parent, so two jobs... back and forth to work," she said.
A plateau in prices has made it slightly easier for just about everyone. According to GasBuddy.com the average gallon of gas in Fresno has gone down nearly $0.02 in the past two weeks. The average is now about $4.23.
That's some good news for the valley since the rest of the country saw an increase by $0.03. Still, the national average is around $3.89.
And analysts predict these leveled off fuel prices may once again start rising in the next two weeks. "The wholesale cost of gasoline, which is the cost stations pay, is up about nine cents a gallon. So we'll have to see how quick prices go up, if there's any increase," said GasBuddy.com analyst Patrick DeHaan.
On the expensive side, the Shell station on Herndon near Tollhouse in Clovis is the highest in the area at $4.45 per gallon.
