Filling stations at 34th and Q streets offer Bakersfield's cheapest gas, by a long shot
May 18—Bakersfield motorist Kenny Blackwell likes cheap gasoline as much as the next guy, but on Monday afternoon he purposely avoided a filling station near his home that was selling a gallon of regular unleaded for more than a dollar below California's average price.
Instead, he gassed up across the street, where the price was only slightly more money but the wait in line was much shorter.
"I pay 2 cents (extra). It's worth it right now," he said.
In a scene reminiscent of an old-fashioned gas war, two gas stations at the intersection of 34th and Q streets have been offering extraordinarily low fuel prices lately — and attracting quite a crowd as a consequence.
So many people were buying gas at the Fastrip station at the intersection's southwest corner that drivers were having trouble getting in and out of the place. Its posted price: $3.139 per gallon for cash customers.
Meanwhile, the V Red station on the northwest corner was doing what appeared to be significantly less business by selling gas for $3.159 to cash customers.
Both prices, though up close to a dime per gallon higher than Saturday's prices, easily bested every other station in town.
According to the self-reported fuel price website Gasbuddy.com, the next-best price in Bakersfield Monday was $3.33, followed by $3.45.
The contrast sharpens in comparison with the citywide average as reported Monday by the AAA — $4.039 — which was still almost a dime cheaper than the state average.
Southwest Bakersfield resident Lauro Perez stopped by the Fastrip Monday to fill up just as he had Sunday in a different vehicle. He said he had traveled only seven miles out of his way.
"It's very cheap for the economy we have," Perez said. "I think it's because they're emptying the tanks."
Whether he's right is hard to say. A representative of the Fastrip chain's owner, Jaco Oil Co., referred calls to senior executive Lee Jamieson, who did not respond to a request for comment Monday.
Customer Anthony Killion pulled into the Fastrip Monday to fill up his V-8 Chevy Tahoe. He said his strategy has been to find the cheapest gas in town and then go there to buy premium unleaded, which is still relatively inexpensive compared with almost anywhere else.
He said he was already headed downtown and thought he'd swing by. Otherwise he might not have gone out of his way.
"As long as I'm not driving, like, 10 to 15 miles out of my way to get gas, it's fine," he said.
