Gas prices falling as summer is wrapping up

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Summer is wrapping up, and gas prices are sliding down.

Though there has been a consistent decrease, not all drivers are "pumped up" about the prices they're seeing.

“I’m glad to see prices coming down, but they need to come down a little faster," said Santa Barbara resident Susan Allen.

According to Triple A, the gradual decline is due to low demand for gas and oil prices that have stayed in the mid-$90s per barrel. 

Triple A now quotes the national average of gas at $4.35. This is 63 cent decrease from what it was a month ago.

Some drivers like Carol Anderson-Riley are content with what they're seeing.

Anderson said, “They're high, but they're higher where I live in San Jose."

Triple A reported that California has the highest gas prices in the country.

Some drivers like Edwin Magana are paying close to $300 a week for fuel.

Edwin, who commutes from Lompoc to Santa Barbara is considering purchasing a more eco-friendly vehicle.

“I have a big, big truck, big car. So I'm planning to get a smaller vehicle.”

And Edwin is not alone. Susan Allen shared that she is waiting to get an electric vehicle but is waiting for it to be available in the color silver.

Allen added, “It's hard, extremely expensive to live in Santa Barbara. And a lot of the people who do the more low paid jobs come in from, you know, Lompoc and other areas. So gas is really a big deal to them.”

Industry experts say that gas prices will keep dropping slowly but surely.