Gas prices on the rise again

Gas prices are on the rise again and drivers at the pump say the increase is not going unnoticed in their wallets.

"I have a Jeep and I don't have the best gas mileage, so I am filling up at least every week," Ashton Short of East Falls said.

"It is not much you can do. You need your gas, you have to get around town and got to work, what more can you say,"" Andria Sligh of Manayunk said.

"I grew up in California so I am used to really high gas prices, but then I moved here and they were really low compared to what I was used to. Now, they are rising again and it makes me want to drive my car a whole lot less, take public transportation and try to bike when I can," says Megan Badovinac of East Falls

AAA says you can blame the gas hike on rising crude oil prices and the annual switchover to summer-grade-gasoline.

Dr. Sherry Jarrell, with Temple's Fox School of Business says don't expect prices to drop anytime soon. She says it boil downs to the typical supply and demand and cyclical rise and fall of prices at the pump.

"I also think that the fact the economy is strong and the dollar is weak adds to the story. It might exacerbate it a little bit, make it a little more quick of a rise and uncertainty and a little more variance in the price increase," says Dr. Sherry Jarrell.

On Friday, the national average was $2.80 per gallon. In our area, AAA says Pennsylvania is seeing some the highest prices at the pump - with an average of $3.02 cents. In New Jersey, drivers are paying $2.87 and people in Delaware are spending on average $2.78 a gallon to fill-up.

"The increase so far, being that I have to get premium, is extremely expensive. I went from only paying $32 to $44 so the increase is a bit extreme," says Kyisha Knox of South Philly.

AAA says it's been nearly 3 and a half years since Pennsylvania last topped $3 a gallon for gas.

With summer approaching and many people planning vacations, drivers and experts are bracing to see more increases at the pump.

"I think we can count on the prices continuing to go up as they normally would with a little bit of a question mark about the degree or the speed," said Dr. Jarrell.

-----

Send a News Tip to Action News

Learn More About 6abc Apps