A run of 16 decreases in 17 days to Riverside County gas prices ended Saturday when the average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline increased four-tenths of a cent to $4.768.
The average price is 1.9 cents less than one week ago, 8.5 cents lower than one month ago and $1.432 less than one year ago, according to figures from the AAA and the Oil Price Information Service. It has dropped $1.605 since rising to a record $6.373 on Oct. 5.
The annual increase in the state gas tax to fund maintenance to the state highway system and local roads went into effect Saturday. The increase is 4 cents per gallon.
“Gas prices have been trending down in the last couple of weeks so drivers may not see much of an increase in prices,” Doug Shupe, the Automobile Club of Southern California’s corporate communications manager, told City News Service. “However, wholesale Los Angeles gas prices did rise by about nine cents (Friday) so if that trend sustains itself next week, we could see increases both from the tax and the gas cost itself.
“Last year gas prices were rapidly decreasing from their records of near $6.50 a gallon so the gas tax increase was not even noticed,” Shupe continued. “In years prior to that, gas prices gradually rose after July 1 over a couple of days by the amount of the tax increase, but sometimes fell shortly afterward.”
The national average price dropped for the eighth consecutive day, decreasing a half-cent to $3.538. It has dropped 4.6 cents over the past eight days, including six-tenths of a cent Friday.
The national average price is 4 cents less than one week ago, 3.6 cents lower than one month ago and $1.304 less than one year ago. It has dropped $1.478 since rising to a record $5.016 on June 14, 2022.