A run of 11 increases in 13 days that pushed the average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in Riverside County to its highest amount since May 7, 2014, ended Monday with a decrease of one-tenth of a cent to $4.242.
The average price increased 6.5 cents over the previous 13 days, including nine-tenths of a cent Sunday, according to figures from the AAA and Oil Price Information Service. It is 2.5 cents higher than one week ago, 8.1 cents more than one month ago and $1.18 greater than a year ago.
The 2014 average also included stations in San Bernardino County.
The average price has risen $1.06 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.