Gas prices rising quickly and often in Colorado Springs

Drivers in Colorado Springs enjoyed gas prices of below $2 per gallon at the start of 2019, but those prices are long gone now, replaced by steadily rising costs.

According to Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for the website GasBuddy, prices at the pump have risen 31 cents within the past month and 9 cents within the past week.

“And it’s not just Colorado Springs,” he said. “It’s the rest of the country, too — except the West Coast and Northeast. They’re seeing a smaller rate of increase.”

DeHaan said fuel demand increases every spring, at the same time when many college students and other people are traveling for spring break.

The petroleum industry also is conducting equipment maintenance and switching from a winter fuel blend to a more regulated summer blend, he said, which reduces the supply of available fuel as demand rises.

“That’s why the price goes up,” DeHaan said. “We’re not seeing anything new or unusual.”

In Colorado Springs on Tuesday, the lowest gasoline price was difficult to determine because many stations changed their prices at least three times.

“That’s how it’s been lately,” said a clerk at a Diamond Shamrock station. “We went from $2.18 when we opened, to $2.29 this afternoon. And the smartphone app that GasBuddy has to track the lowest prices — it can’t keep up.”

According to GasBuddy, the average price for a gallon of unleaded gas in $2.34, but the range goes as low as $2.17 and as high as $2.59.

DeHaan said prices will continue to rise until June, but gave no specifics about how much more prices will increase.