Santa Maria Residents React To Further Hike In Gas Prices

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) - Santa Maria residents are seeing numbers still rising at the gas pump, straining budgets to their limits.

Some places have reached over $6.00 per gallon.

According to GasBuddy, a downloadable smartphone app that tracks gas prices and connects drivers to locations with lower prices, Santa Barbara county has seen a 10.9 cents-per-gallon increase in the last week.

The app’s researchers say gas was 13 cents-per-gallon cheaper last month, and over a dollar less a year ago.

Locals say these are the highest prices they’ve ever seen, and that affects everything from the number of stops they make on their way to and from work, to bigger decisions such as what to do with vacation time.

President Trump has said these price hikes will only be in place for a little while, hinting at possible reductions in the near future.

Locals say one thing everyone can agree on is that these prices are out of hand.

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