SAN ANTONIO – Drivers are finding something rare at the gas pump: relief.
Prices have tumbled 18 cents a gallon in the past week and 65 cents since last month when prices peaked at $4.67, according to AAA. The average price on Friday was $4.02 per gallon.
Signs posting gas for less than $4 a gallon are welcome and more common sights for drivers.
“I saw $3.73, and I was, ‘I’ve got to go get some before it goes up,’” said Lorenzo Pimentel, who added that he was paying more than $200 a week to fill up his truck to go to job sites.
Several retailers were selling gas Friday for about $3.75 in the Alamo Ranch area.
Why the plunge?
Supplies are up, according to industry analysts.
“On the demand side, there are concerns of an economic slowdown,” said GasBuddy’s Chief Analyst Patrick DeHaan.
High inflation and the potential for the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates again is also impacting demand and the futures market.
How long with the relief last?
“I think we could certainly see more downslide potential in the next two weeks and maybe into a third week,” DeHaan said. “Beyond that, it’s a little more hazy because of the way the economy could move.”
Despite the decline in gas prices, drivers are still paying $1.24 per gallon more than one year ago. That and higher prices on just about everything have taken a toll.
“I had to go out and get a job,” said Johnnie Stephenson, who at 70 years old said she had to find extra income to pay for gas and everything else.