WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – Prices at the pump are up, and spring break is less than a month away. For schools, the increased gas prices may change minds about going on vacation.
Spring break is a highly anticipated escape from winter every year for students, teachers, and families. This year the vacation surge could be much more expensive than originally planned.
Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy, says, “$4, that’s definitely a possibility for the national average by April or May. The Russa situation is not the only situation pushing gasoline prices up. Motorists across the country are starting to see the switch to summer gasoline.”
According to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation statistics, road trips have become more popular since the start of the pandemic.
“Americans fill their tank more often combined with the summer gasoline, and refinery maintenance could likely boost in the next four to six weeks,” says De Haan.
Regardless of your vacation travel plans, market analysts say increased gas prices will impact everyone by transportation and delivery like rideshare services.
De Haan says, “airline tickets could go up, the price of anything delivered via truck, and services that rely on gasoline, whether that be things Uber and Lyft and Instacart, you may see fuel surcharges tacked on those services.”
AAA says it is too early to tell people to adjust their travel plans due to a surge in prices. As of last week, the Transportation Security Administration says the pace of travel has not slowed.
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