Several drivers, stopping to fill their tanks Tuesday, said they were surprised by the recent increases. As gas prices soar, some said they're walking or bicycling more than in the past.
Gary's Service Station, a full-service station on South Higgins Avenue, increased its prices for regular unleaded to $4.099 on Tuesday - from $3.999 on Monday.
At Costco on Reserve Street, the price for regular unleaded increased by a penny Tuesday to $3.879 a gallon from $3.869 a gallon on Monday.
Nationally, retail prices for gas hit a record $4.043 a gallon, according to a survey of stations by AAA and the Oil Price Information Service. Crude oil prices for July were about $131 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
Dee Atkinson drove up to Gary's pumps on Tuesday afternoon in her Buick Regal, with her bearded collie, Fozzie Bear, keeping her company in the back seat.
Atkinson said she visits the station once a month to have the oil and tire pressure checked when she refuels her car. She said she's puzzled by the rapid increase in gas prices.
“I have no understanding of how gas prices could escalate so quickly,” she said.
Gerald Fetz, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Montana, said he's bought gas at Gary's for the past 25 years. He stopped at the station Tuesday afternoon to get gas for his Volkswagen Cabrio.
He wasn't surprised by the price increases, reflecting that he paid more for fuel in Germany 15 years ago. But he said he was surprised by how quickly the prices have climbed.
“One has to be skeptical about how rapidly the price has gone up,” Fetz said. “I think it is politics and I think it is economic greed.”
Asked if he's made any lifestyle changes to help deal with the gas price increases, Fetz said, “I'm walking and riding my bike more than in the past. And I'm going to buy a (hybrid Toyota) Prius soon.”
As gas stations refill their tanks, they face steeper costs, too.
Ross Grenfell, who has owned the Hellgate Conoco Service Station on East Broadway since 1979, said he expects prices to climb. He said the full-service pump at his station began offering gas without ethanol for more than $4 a gallon in early May.
“I'm getting a load right now and it went up 5 cents, so it'll be $3.999 at self-service,” he said. “The customers are coming in and complaining all the time. A lot of people do understand that it isn't us, but they have to vent their anger somewhere.”
Gary Little, who purchased the South Higgins service station in 1965, said he buys about 2,500 gallons every 10 days.
“The prices have changed each time I've bought gas by 10, 12 and 15 cents,” Little said. “Prices are going up for crude oil. I think it is just supply and demand.”
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