20-Cent Gas Price Gap Between Pueblo, Colorado Springs

Would you drive 40 miles to buy gasoline at a discount of 20 cents per gallon? That’s what some Colorado Springs residents likely are asking themselves.

As of Monday evening, the lowest price for a gallon of unleaded gas in Colorado Springs was $3.68, at Rudy’s Barbecue at 31st and Cimarron streets.

In Pueblo, however, the cheapest prices were $3.45 at Western Convenience and $3.47 at The Gas Stop, both on Prairie Avenue near the Northern Avenue intersection.

The difference frustrates and puzzles drivers in both cities.

“Is there some kind of plan to work together to keep the prices higher?” said Susan Pappas of Colorado Springs. “The demand’s not different, so I don’t know how the price would be different.”

“That’s kind of ridiculous,” said Bob Graff of Pueblo, who took advantage of the lower price to fill his boat’s gas tank. “I think gas is way too high anyway, no matter where it’s at.”

In trying to explain the price differences, University of Colorado-Colorado Springs economist Fred Crowley offered one theory.

“The supply could be low, locally,” he said. “But there’s no way I can prove that.”

Other possible reasons include a stronger U.S. dollar, falling oil prices and the uncertainty of the global economy. Some experts say gas prices are more prone to fluctuating because prices are determined less by supply and demand, and more by being traded as a commodity.

Experts also say that the owners of stations with more expensive gas, bought that gas when prices were higher, and want to at least break even on the cost — whereas owners of stations with less expensive gas can sell for less because they purchased it when prices were lower.

Dustin Perkins of Colorado Springs said the discrepancy exists even outside Colorado.

“We just got back from a vacation in Michigan, and it’s 20 to 30 cents cheaper the whole way through,” he said. “It’s a little upsetting.”

However, Perkins said he’s undecided about whether he’d drive to Pueblo for lower-priced gas.

“If I was filling my tank, absolutely,” he said. “If I was just going to put in a $10 bill, that doesn’t make any sense really.”

Ellen Getz of Colorado Springs is more certain.

“I wouldn’t want to drive all the way to Pueblo,” she said. “You can’t. Not to save 20 cents a gallon.”

There’s a catch to the gas prices in Pueblo, though. After the two lowest, the next-lowest is $3.66, which is closer to the lowest costs in Colorado Springs.

The average price in Colorado Springs is $3.78, which is five cents above the national average. This time last year, the city was 20 cents below the national average at $3.73.

The state average is $3.78.