As the fuel gauge nears the big letter “E”, the scavenger hunt for the cheapest gas begins. 18 miles….10 miles…the gauge ticks down as students scramble to find the most affordable locations as close as possible.
An extra mile might not seem like much, but it’s worth the 30 cents per gallon saved for junior Ruth Bayou. “I stick to the Gulf station in Kentlands, which is not the closest, but it’s almost 30 cents cheaper than the gas stations closer to my house. However, if I find a cheap one when I’m out, I’ll take the chance and fill my tank,” Bayou said.
Although gas prices are below last year’s national average of $3.59, according to AAA Fuel prices, “gas prices made a bigger jump this past week, with the national average for a gallon of regular going up by more than 10 cents to $3.26.”
According to GetUpside, BP has the cheapest prices in Maryland with an average of $2.62, while Shell tends to have the highest prices, ranging from $2.80 to $3.33.
This has made students skeptical about driving the extra miles to find cheaper gas. Junior Kai Schmelzer said, “I go to the Exxon by Rockville Town Center, but I won’t go crazy for cheap gas because then I’m just burning more gas to get there.”
Similarly, Junior Jilli Nalibotsky said, “It makes no sense to travel for gas, you’re just going to end up paying the same amount because you have less gas left, and by then you have wasted your time.”
The cheapest gas stations are located in Rockville: prices range from $2.95 to $3.18. These gas stations are a hotspot for students on the way to get food or attend a game. Senior Brendan Famulare would drive through Rockville to find the cheapest gas station during basketball season. “Sometimes on my way home from the game, I would purposely take a route that would take me through the Rockville area, because they usually have cheaper gas stations. The ones around the Gaithersburg area tend to be more expensive, so it was worth the drive to get a couple of cents off the gallon,” Famulare said.
Junior Bryson Filbert doesn’t travel for lower prices. “I don’t travel for gas, I just go to wherever is closest to me. I personally like the Exxon gas station on Darnestown Road that is next to Trader Joe’s. I just don’t feel like it is worth it to travel for gas, it takes up time, and you just end up paying more in the long run,” Filbert said.
Senior Nikki Cohen thinks traveling for gas is worth the time. “I feel like if you travel for gas, you end up burning some extra gas, but it still ends up being cheaper to fill your tank because the overall price is cheaper. However, I won’t travel more than 10 minutes to find a cheaper gas station,” Cohen said.
