Laskoski said that since the beginning of January, wholesale prices for unleaded gasoline have increased almost 30 cents per gallon in the Ohio region. Couple the increasing wholesale prices with rebounding crude oil prices and annual maintenance at local refineries, and the rise at the pump was inevitable.
“At this time of the year, refineries are in this transition period, where they’re depleting their inventory of winter blend gasoline,” Laskoski said, adding that most refineries are preparing to switch over to a summer-blend of gasoline. The summer-blend is regulated by the federal government, he said.
“This is the reason we always see a price hike at this time of year,” Laskoski said.
Several stations, including some in Springboro, Sugarcreek Twp. and Centerville, were selling unleaded gas at $2.35 a gallon Tuesday. The average price for a gallon of unleaded gas last week was $1.96.
Laskoski said that, despite the price hike Tuesday, prices in the Dayton area are still well below the average price last year, which was $3.29 a gallon.
Mike Bryslan is a Dayton resident who uses a box truck to transport animals for his job. He said the recent lower prices have helped make his business more viable.
“With my gas guzzler, it’s been pretty nice having them lower,” Bryslan said as he filled up his tank at the BP station on Wilmington Pike in Centerville on Tuesday.
He wasn’t happy to see the spike in prices Tuesday.
“It kinda keeps me limited in my area that I can help service people with what I do,” he said.
Other drivers said the price jump did not come as a surprise, considering how low the prices had been.
“I kind of expected it,” said Rick Jones, a Lebanon resident. “I kind of figured this was going to be short term anyway.”
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