This is not good news for commuters. The statewide average for gas is $3.65 a gallon. But here in the Bay Area, of course, we're already paying more than that. The price is about to go up, and some drivers say enough is enough.
It's a fact of life in California -- the weather will get warmer by springtime and gas prices will get higher.
"All the prices are going up, taxes going up, and the gas is going up, and I'm not going to be happy with that, right," commuter Yuni Park said.
Energy experts say while frigid weather back east and reduced driving have kept prices stable in the U.S., a 50 cent spike is coming to California drivers as gas supplies tighten and a conversion to a summer blend of gas begins.
"It's the time of year plants are expected to run full tilt during the summer to keep up with demand," said Patrick Dehaan, Petroleum Analyst with GasBuddy.com. "And an approach to that, refineries have to slow down or take part of the plants offline to do the work."
The result, according to GasBuddy.com, less supply and higher prices
"You know, it's just something that we as the general public have no control over," commuter Allan Lim said. "It's up to us whether we want to participate in buying gas or not."
Lim pays $100 per week to fill up his truck. He says that ritual is getting really old, and he wants to make a change.
"As far as my personal use, I'm probably going to lean more towards a hybrid or an electric car.
When asked if that means he'd get rid of the truck Lim answered, "Yeah, just get rid of it."
Jessica Sanchez likes the price of her compact car at the pump. But she likes her big cars too.
"It seems like, you know, society is kinda taking advantage of it, especially people who have big vehicles," she said. "I just actually purchased a new truck myself. And it seems like instead of putting 40 bucks I'm putting, like, double. People will probably start taking bikes and buses and other types of transportation."
Experts say that summer blend of gas is cleaner burning, but it's also more expensive to producer. Oils exporting countries are also expected to boost the price of crude to about $100 a barrel.
Brace yourself, here's a comparison for you -- the cheapest gas we found was in Wyoming at $3.27 a gallon.
