WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-Falling Gas Prices Bring Vt. Drivers Relief
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Rutland, Vermont - October 14, 2008
Drive up Route 7 through Rutland and $3.07 gas seems to scream off the signs, and drivers are celebrating. Prices have fallen from closer to $4.00 this summer.
Benson mom Tanyia Chandler says, "I work full-time and have three children. Between sports and getting back and forth to work and different stuff it was rough, it was hard. So I'm happy to see the prices go down. Very happy!"
Sagging demand and the problems on Wall Street are behind the falling prices. Plus, hurricane season is mostly in our rear view mirrors.
The average price for a gallon of regular in Vermont is $3.30. That's down 37 cents from just a month ago.
In Vermont, the cheapest gas is actually in Newport, but in areas near Rutland you'll find more stations around and even under the three dollar mark. That's about 30 cents less than most stations in Chittenden County.
The Vermont Fuel Dealers Association says Rutland tends to be a great place to gas up because stiff competition between all the stations keeps prices low. Plus, it's close to Albany, New York, a key fuel shipping zone.
But Brandon's Mandie Whittemore points out, "It still is $3.07. It was nice when I got my license a year and a half ago, it was only $2.50 a gallon. So it's an eye-opener for us who are young and just getting started."
Some drivers are saying the drop in prices is only good while it lasts. Shane Spinell, a senior at Middlebury College, says, "I don't think it's going to go much further down, and I think it's actually going to go up soon."
But for now, it's welcome relief, after consumers have had so little to smile about along the rocky road of personal finances.
Fuel dealers point out pricing is very complex, and can fluctuate depending on how much they paid for the gas and how much they can earn off snack sales.
To track gas prices in Vermont, you can log onto this website.
Jack Thurston - WCAX News
