ALLIANCE ‒ Drivers are feeling more than a pinch April 30 as they are seeing a $4.99 price per gallon of gasoline at the pump.
Some are showing frustration, while others are reluctantly accepting. Others worry about what’s next.
“I thought two or three days ago it couldn’t get much worse and now it’s getting much worse,” 35-year-old Jacob Clapper of Canton said at the GetGo gas station in Alliance. “There’s no hope in sight. I feel like that our government has kind of left us out to dry. It’s going to get to $6 before June.”
Most of the gas stations in the Alliance area, including those along West State Street (U.S. Route 62) and North Union Avenue (State Route 183) had regular unleaded gas listed for $4.99 a gallon on April 30. The Gulf station at East State Street and Liberty was $4.25 at 11 a.m.
It was the same at fuel stations in other Stark County communities, such as Canton, Massillon and North Canton.
Gas prices in Ohio are at their highest since Summer 2022 and are expected to soon break records as the war in Iran stretches into its third month.
In fact, Ohio’s average gas price per gallon is $4.46. The $4.99 price is just 7 cents from the state record of $5.06 per gallon in June 2022, a few months after Russia first invaded Ukraine.
Clapper said he was never into politics until now, and he blames President Donald Trump and the attack on Iran for the current prices.
“I don’t understand why people still wear Trump hats,” he said. “I feel we’re under attack by Israel and I have three girls that I’m kind of scared to bring into this life, you know? I’ve never been political in my entire life but it’s starting to be too much, too fast.”
Despite the higher prices, the gas stations were still busy with people filling their tanks, spending between $30 and $70 before hitting the road in eastern Stark County. A woman at GetGo said she reluctantly accepts the prices because she still has places to be, and can’t change the cost.
Another driver had choices words for the higher prices, but he said it is driven by “political” decisions and something consumers can’t prevent.
Dave McCurry, 66, of Canton, was going to Deerfield for lunch and stopped for gas at the Marathon gas station at West State Street near Freshley Avenue. He is retired, but works part-time as an Uber driver. He pumped 11.8 gallons into his car, spending $59. He called the higher prices unsustainable.
“You can’t live like this,” he said.
McCurry said higher gas prices might impact shipping costs and cause groceries and others goods to increase in price.
“It’s $5.99 for diesel,” he said. “Those guys can’t deliver products to the grocery store unless they jack their prices up. So that lands on you.”
Reach Benjamin Duer at 330-580-8567 or ben.duer@cantonrep.com.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: ‘It’s going to get to $6 before June.’ Drivers react to gas prices
Reporting by Benjamin Duer, Canton Repository / The Repository
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
