MILTON, Vt. -
Prices at the pump don't just seem to be spiking, they are. One of our viewers called us this morning to say that prices shot up 20 cents over night in Milton.
Well, we did some digging. We couldn't find any place with that big of a change, but we came close... 15 cents in three days!
I spoke with some upset drivers today, who I think you can relate to!
"48 bucks... so 50 bucks," Mark Laurel said as he filled up his tank.
People are getting nickel and dimed at the pump, and I don't just mean the expression. In Milton, gas was literally 15 cents more expensive Thursday, than it was Monday.
"It should be going down, not up," Sarah Forman said.
It was one of our viewers who called to make us aware of the outrageous jump, so I spent the day trying to find out why. Gasbuddy.com told me this time of year, maintenance is done at the refineries to prepare for busy summer driving, it means less gas is being produced. That combination equals pain at the pump.
"Who would be happy? I'm a broke college kid," Forman said.
Also, the economy is improving. Investors are buying in, therefore pushing the cost of oil up. If the owner has to pay more, you have to pay more.
"I can remember paying 98 cents a gallon, back in the 80's," Bill Davis said.
Davis commutes from Franklin to Milton. He fills up at 65 bucks, twice a week.
"I shop around and go to the cheapest place I can go because gas prices are just getting ridiculous," Davis said.
Let's recap... in just three days, Mobil jumped a dime... Irving, 15 cents... CITGO, 8 cents.
For nearly a month, "The Dam Store" has had the lowest price in town, and that's still at $3.62 a gallon, the owner says he's not even making a profit, he simply wants to keep foot traffic coming through the door.
I wish I had better news to report, but gasbuddy.com only sees the prices continuing to climb, well into June.
The average price for a gallon of gas:
In Vermont is $3.65
New York $3.79
And the majority of our neighbors in New Hampshire pay, $3.53.
The national average is $3.41.
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=525891c3-c039-4068-a593-bb7ea6ffc137
