WACO, Texas — The pain at the pump isn't as bad as it was in November as prices are noticeably cheaper in Central Texas this week but a dollar higher than this time last year.
Drivers like Hunter Brem of Waco are over it.
"Kind of sucks filling this thing up," Brem told 25 News, referring to his Jeep Grand Cherokee.
All he can do is watch as the price adds up.
It's a pain in the wallet every time he fills up.
"To fill it up it's about $70 and I have to run 93 (octane) so it's about $3.54 a gallon right now," said Brem.
The good news is prices are going down.
Lorena native Daniel Armbruster is the spokesperson for AAA Texas.
"Prices in Waco are down about 17 cents over the last month, per gallon for regular unleaded," Armbruster said.
Why?
First off, it's colder outside and people are staying put.
Second, winter blend gas is cheaper to produce.
And third, AAA says investors in crude oil are concerned the new Omicron variant of COVID-19 will cause people to cut back on travel, similar to what happened when the Delta variant hit over the summer.
"Crude oil prices make up about 50 to 60% of the retail price we pay at the pump as drivers and so if crude oil prices continue to go down, we'll see gas prices continue to come down as well," Armbruster explained.
AAA Texas drivers still haven't benefited from President Joe Biden tapping into the U.S. oil reserve last month.
"That oil hasn't made it into the market yet and likely won't for at least 3 or 4 more weeks and the impact it will have is yet to be determined," Armbruster told 25 News
Either way, AAA predicts the price will keep going down over the new few weeks.
In the meantime, drivers like Brem will keep filling up.
He's just grateful higher prices are in the rearview mirror.
"I'm actually pretty glad cause this thing only gets like 10 miles to the gallon and it's a pretty hefty cost to fill it up," Bream said, "they needed to go down."
The state average $2.94 a gallon Tuesday, making Texas the second cheapest state in the country to fill up.
AAA Texas says you can save on gas by properly maintaining your car.
