SAN ANTONIO – Jesse Munoz was fueling up his “sleigh” for his holiday Uber rounds. It doesn’t run on reindeer.
“I wish it did,” he said. “I really wish it did.”
Local gas prices are down 25 cents in the past month to an average of $2.57, according to AAA fuel reports.
That’s roughly the same as last year.
But, drivers couldn’t help but notice a jump at the pump overnight. Prices rose an average of 13 cents a gallon.
“I don’t know what’s going on right now, but gas prices are steadily raiding, and I wish they would go on the opposite way,” said driver Jordan Gaines. “It’s getting hard out here.”
AAA said the uptick is likely due to increasing demand ahead of holiday travels.
Also, oil prices, which had been sliding, increased this week as oil tankers have rerouted around violence in the Red Sea. If that continues, AAA said that could push prices up more.
Despite fluctuations at the pump, drivers can still find plenty of stations selling for less than $2.30 per gallon. The Sam’s Club at IH 35 and Judson Road posted $2.25 Tuesday noon, some of the cheapest gas in town.
Some 8.3 million Texans are expected to load up their cars and hit the highways for the holidays.
Ethan Cornish will be among them, headed to Louisiana.
“Hopefully, it’ll come down to 98 cents a gallon like when I was in high school,” he said.