By Clyde Noel
Town Crier Correspondent
Gasoline prices jump 18 cents in two weeks at most local service stations
os Altos drivers are starting to feel some pain at the pump when they fill up their tank. Rising demand with the economic recovery, and a slack in production, have caused the price per gallon of gasoline to increase 14.36 cents for all grades in the last two weeks.
In California, the average price of a gallon of unleaded regular last Friday was $1.57, up 12 cents from two weeks ago, according to Trilby Lundberg in the Lundberg Survey of 8,000 gas stations nationwide.
Pump Pulse
Here’s a roundup of prices at selected area service stations. Prices are for unleaded, mid-grade and premium, respectively.
Los Altos Main Street Chevron: $1.73, $1.93, $2.03
Los Altos Rancho Texaco: $1.66, $1.78, $1.88
Los Altos Homestead Road Chevron: $1.59, $1.69, $1.79
Los Altos El Camino Union 76: $1.61, $1.73, $1.83
Los Altos San Antonio Union 76: $1.61, $1.73, $1.83
Sunnyvale De Anza Boulevard Chevron: $1.57, $1.67, $1.77
Cupertino Stevens Creek Boulevard Shell: $1.63, $1.73, $1.83
Los Altos San Antonio Arco: $1.51, $1.63, $1.73
These prices were checked on Monday, April 1. In a sampling of 18 service stations in the Los Altos area, the average prices were $1.63 for unleaded regular (87 octane), $1.73 for mid-grade (89 octane) and $1.83 for premium (92 octane).
The highest prices in all cities surveyed were in Los Altos, at the Main Street Chevron station - $1.73, $1.93 and $2.03 for the three grades.
The lowest prices in Los Altos were found at the San Antonio Road Arco station - $1.51, $1.63 and $1.73. The lowest prices in the survey were found in Sunnyvale.
“We’re seeing prices in crude oil continuing to rise with an agreement by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries to maintain production cuts through June. U.S. oil inventories are down as refineries perform maintenance for a seasonal rise in demand that is already beginning,” Lundberg said.
An attendant at the Homestead Road Chevron station in Los Altos said the economic upturn has kept him watching the pumps more.
“For the last several months, those big SUVs came in here and pumped in 20-25 gallons in their tank,” he said. “Now that conditions are better, they are filling them to their capacity of 55-60 gallons again.”
California prices are still higher than the rest of the nation but about 9 cents lower than a year ago, according to Lundberg. T
The national weighted average price of gasoline, including taxes, at self-serve pumps last Friday was about $1.35 per gallon for regular, $1.44 for mid-grade and $1.53 for premium.
The Automobile Club of Southern California said prices are still so far below last year’s highs that motorists aren’t concerned.
