Pull into a Toledo gas station and meet a rising cost per gallon: $3.049 at a Circle K on West Alexis Road. $3.089 at a Shell on Monroe Street. $3.109 at the Kroger at Monroe and Secor Road.
AAA reports that in May, gas cost an average of $2.85 per gallon locally. In June 2020, the price was a mere $2.13. Toledo prices remain higher than those of Lucas County in its entirety but generally trend below the state average.
And according to the price-tracking website Gasbuddy.com (toledoblade.com/gas), the Toledo-area price average is now higher than it has been since the summer of 2014, when prices peaked just shy of $4 per gallon for regular.
The average of local prices reported by Gasbuddy’s volunteer spotters stood Thursday afternoon at $3.05 per gallon for regular, 2.3 cents below the national average and 94.2 cents per gallon higher than a year ago.
As the area’s gas prices spike, locals report that costs are inhibiting their mobility.
“I don’t really do more activities with the family. I just make sure I go to the places that are most important,” Margarita Gonzalez said as she filled her tank at the Shell station downtown at Monroe and Michigan streets.
Toledo resident Matt Simpson said that while price increases are lightening his wallet, he still has to drive.
A recent jump in the consumer price index has contributed to rising gasoline prices across the United States, but Ohio experts cite additional influences.
“The thing about Ohio gas prices is that they are very volatile. There are a bunch of factors that could change prices,” Kara Hitchens, a senior specialist of public and government affairs for AAA Miami Valley and Northwest Ohio, said.
One cause was a spike in the price of crude oil, the price of which hit a recent peak of $69 per barrel. Ms. Hitchens said crude prices account for at least 50 percent of the price at the pump, so when crude costs more, gasoline costs more.
Ms. Hitchens also noted that gasoline prices generally increase during the spring and summer months because fuel is more expensive to produce. The “summer blend” includes chemical additives designed to reduce gasoline’s evaporative properties so it doesn’t pollute as much.
One more explanation could be simple supply and demand. Though Toledo customers said price spikes are keeping them in park, statewide trends reveal that more Ohioans are taking the wheel.
“We’re definitely seeing more people on the roads — there’s no doubt about that,” said Matt Bruning, an Ohio Department of Transportation spokesman. “I can’t remember when gas prices really started going up, but we’re not seeing them impact these numbers yet.”
Brian Newbacher, an Ohio Turnpike spokesman, attributed the spike in traffic to the region’s emergence from coronavirus restrictions. Shots are entering arms, masks are coming off, and Ohio residents are buckling their seat belts, commuting to work, heading out on summer vacations.
Over 12 million passenger vehicles passed through Ohio tolls in the first five months of 2021, up 18.4 percent from 2020 but still 17.4 percent below 2019 traffic levels.
First Published June 17, 2021, 3:31 p.m.
