The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in Riverside County was unchanged Saturday, remaining at $4.234 after rising 10 times in 11 days to its highest amount since May 8, 2014.
The average price increased 5.6 cents over the previous 11 days, including four-tenths of a cent Friday, according to figures from the AAA and Oil Price Information Service. It is 2 cents higher than one week ago, 8.9 cents more than one month ago and $1.18 greater than a year ago.
The average price has risen $1.058 since the start of the year because of a sharp increase in the oil price and higher demand due to more people driving to work, according to Jeffrey Spring, the Automobile Club of Southern California’s corporate communications manager.
The large price increase from one year ago is mainly the result of significant decreases during the early stage of the coronavirus pandemic, when driving and demand dropped substantially because of stay-at-home orders intended to reduce the spread of the virus.