BOSTON, Mass. — The Russian invasion of Ukraine is adding to the pain at the pump as prices climb by the day.
According to AAA, drivers in Massachusetts are spending an average of $3.73 a gallon. That’s 32 cents higher than one month ago and $1.07 more than one year ago.
Prices at many gas stations in the city of Boston and some other Massachusetts communities have well surpassed $4 dollars a gallon.
At the Shell gas station on Columbus Ave in Boston’s South End, the price increased to $4.59 a gallon on Thursday.
“I’m retired so it makes it more difficult to afford it. I can’t increase my income because the price of gas is going up,” said driver Walter Whitney.
San Francisco became the first city in the United States to breach an average of $5 a gallon on Thursday.
AAA warns that prices will continue to head north in the coming weeks.
“I could have to raise prices to $5, $6 a gallon if it’s going the way it’s going now,” said Elias Menhem, who owns a Gulf gas station in Somerville. “The volume went down almost 50 percent selling gas. We used to sell double.”
Russia is the second largest exporter of crude oil to the U.S.
About 3% of U.S. crude oil imports come from Russia, and any disruption to those exports is likely to continue driving gas prices higher.
Gas prices had already been climbing ahead of the summer travel season as COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.
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