Gas Guide: Steer Clear of Freeway Pumps

Why would you pay more than $4.15 for a gallon of gasoline?

If you're at a Chevron station in Livermore on a rainy Thursday afternoon, it's probably because you have to.

The average price for a gallon of unleaded regular in California has reached $3.98. In much of the East Bay, the price fluctuates between $3.90 and $4.05 a gallon.

According to websites gasprices.mapquest.com and gasbuddy.com, gas prices in Union City currently range from $3.97 at Valero to $4.05 at the Shell and Chevron stations on Decoto and Alvarado-Niles Roads (Abe Gasonile, which is usually a few cents cheaper, was not listed on the websites). 

But that's not the case over in the eastern portion of Livermore where a number of stations along the Interstate 580 corridor charge at least 15 cents above the state average.

On Thursday, the Chevron on North Livermore Avenue near the freeway had raised its price to $4.17 for a gallon of unleaded regular.

David Wooten was one of the people there. The Antioch resident had just poured 22 gallons into his BMW X5. That vehicle only takes unleaded premium. He paid $4.41 a gallon, shelling out $99 before he was through.

"I think this is robbery," said Wooten. "The price at the pump does not reflect the cost of producing the product."

Wooten normally checks online for the lowest prices, but on this day he was running low on gas and he needed to pick up his two children at a nearby school in Livermore. So, he paid the price.

He hopes he won't have to for long. Wooten plans to buy a hybrid, go electric and "get out of this game."

Nearby, Mike Argon was driving home from a construction job in San Francisco to his home in Ceres, near Modesto. He also was running on empty, so he pulled in. But he didn't fill up his 26-gallon tank.

"I put in $15, just enough to get home," Argon said.

That particular sector of Livermore probably sees higher gas prices because it's the last section of I-580 before the freeway heads toward the Central Valley.

Prices elsewhere in the East Bay are somewhat lower.

Castro Valley continues to be one of the cheaper communities to buy gas. All 10 stations listed under gasprices.mapquest.com sell unleaded regular for under $4 a gallon. A Quik Stop market is listed at $3.85.

Prices in nearby Dublin range from $3.92 to $4.05. In Newark, they go from $3.93 to $4.02 for stations listed on the website.

San Leandro has the widest range, going from $3.91 at Flyers on East 14th Street to $4.25 at the Marina Food Mart on Orchard Avenue and the Valero Gas & Food on 98th Avenue.

The folks at the California State Automobile Association say they are trying to help. Apple iPhones can download the free AAA TripTik Mobile application, the first free app to offer access to frequently updated gas prices.

“Among the details that users can access are updated prices for all available grades of gasoline. Drivers can also sort gas stations alphabetically or by distance," said CSAA spokesman Matt Skryja.