Pain at the pump: Gas prices surge in Western Pennsylvania
Gas prices surge in Western Pennsylvania
Drivers are facing another painful trip to the pump this week as gasoline prices continue to surge across Pennsylvania and the nation.
And diesel fuel prices have reached record highs – as of Monday, the cost of diesel averaged $6.35 a gallon statewide, according to AAA – creating heavy financial strain for local businesses across the region.
“It’s killing us. It’s out of control,” said John Washabaugh Jr., general manager of Valley Bulk Transport Inc., a trucking and freight transport company in Washington. “The price of fuel is going to put people out of business. It’s just nuts. The price of fuel is killer right now.”
The average price for a gallon of gas in western Pennsylvania has gone up 23 cents in the last week, according to the latest update from AAA.
As of Monday, AAA said the average price for gas has risen to $4.537, ranking Pennsylvania as the 10th most expensive gasoline market in the nation.
Pennsylvania diesel prices hit a record high Monday, averaging $6.35 per gallon statewide, according to AAA.
Nationally, AAA said gas has gone up 16 cents on average for a gallon of regular gas.
AAA said volatility in the Strait of Hormuz caused the price of crude oil to pass $100 per barrel, pushing gas prices up further.
The cost of fuel has gotten so high that Dean’s Water gas station at the Jessop Place interchange off of Interstate 70 has temporarily stopped selling gasoline. Store manager Tim Denman said the cost to purchase fuel has doubled since January, prompting them to pause filling their tanks about three weeks ago and wrapping yellow caution tape around the pumps to let customers know they can’t fuel up, although the convenience store remains open.
“We’ll get back (to selling gasoline) again, but for a small business the profit margin is so thin,” Denman said. “We’re all in the same boat.”
He noted that they have to put up the money to fill the 8,000-gallon tanks, but it takes time to sell off. meaning they’ll take an upfront financial hit that the business could not afford. Even “off-road” diesel for home heating has doubled, making that a costly proposition.
The business hopes to purchase a new shipment of automobile gasoline in the next few days to reopen the pumps for customers, although they might not offer all fuel grades.
“It’s for everybody,” Denman said of the difficult climate. “Being an independent gas station is tough anymore.”
Freedom Transit, the public transportation system for Washington County, is facing higher operational costs as a result of the surge in gas and diesel prices.
“We’re seeing about a 40% increase in fuel costs. It’s pretty substantial, and it’s taking a toll,” said Shelia Gombita, executive director of Freedom Transit. “We already had financial challenges, and throwing in increasing fuel costs is something we didn’t anticipate. We always account for increased fuel prices, but the figures we’re seeing are much higher than we anticipated.”
Freedom Transit is cutting hours and reducing Pittsburgh trips for its Shared Ride Service starting Oct. 1 due to a lack of revenue and rising costs.
The authority also is increasing prices effective Jan. 1, to combat rising operational costs.
“Costs keep increasing but funding is not increasing, so we have to make changes,” said Gombita.
GG&C Bus Co., which provides student transportation to school districts including Trinity, Washington, Avella, and McGuffey, and group charter services, is wrestling with the rising fuel prices.
“We really can’t fight it. We’re still running off of fuel from last spring so until we run out, which we’re getting close, so we haven’t had to order on current pricing yet. But I drove past a gas station the other day and saw the price and I’m thinking, ‘Please come down, please come down, please come down,'” said Aaron Zuknick, location manager at GG&C. “At the end of the day, we’ve got to transport students, regardless. We’re not combining runs or dropping runs. We’re just hoping (prices) drop.”
Staff writer Mike Jones contributed to this story.