Gas prices remain low as cooler weather approaches Merced

Motorists in Merced are paying less at the pump than in other parts of the state, though California has some of the highest gas prices in the country, according to the latest AAA Fuel Gauge Report.

The average price of gas in California was $2.99 a gallon, according to the report published Monday. That price is about 37 cents lower than last month, the report says.

But prices in Merced were up to 40 cents cheaper than the state average, GasBuddy.com reported. Prices in Merced were as low as $2.57 on Monday, with the Arco on G Street and Olive Avenue having the cheapest cash prices reported in town.

Those prices attracted Monica Chavez of Patterson, who shopped around for the gas station with the lowest prices. Chavez said she drives a lot for her job, which is based in Sacramento, so she knows what it takes to shop for the best deal.

“I’m pretty happy with the prices today,” she said as she filled her mother’s Hyundai Sonata. “I drive a Chevy Tahoe, so $45 normally gets me under half a tank. It’s nice driving my mom’s car because then we can get lunch, drinks and gas for that amount.”

Meanwhile, Allen Licayan was on the job for Rumex Construction Corp. out of Fresno, calibrating each pump at the Arco station. “I make sure the consumer is getting what they pay for,” he said.

And the pumps at the Arco station were pretty close, he said. Though Merced’s prices are lower than the state average, Licayan said prices were lower in Fresno. But he acknowledged that “things can change overnight.”

The AAA report showed the average price in Merced was $2.82 on Monday.

On the other side of Merced, at the Shell station on R Street, Jeff Blakely stopped to fuel up on his way to Fresno. Though he’s watched prices sink about 10 cents in the last week, that’s not enough, he said. “The prices are way too high, and we don’t get anything in return,” Blakely said.

At the Shell station near Highway 99, a gallon of gas cost $3.09.

Nationally, gas prices are dipping as cheaper, winter-blend gas rolls out for the cooler months, when people drive less. Nationwide, the average price is $2.29, the lowest for this time of year since 2004, the report says.

This story was originally published September 28, 2015 at 4:46 PM with the headline "Gas prices remain low as cooler weather approaches Merced."