GasBuddy Warns Motorists of Unusually High Prices At Some Gas Stations in Affected Areas In Wake of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma
While evidence of price gouging appears limited and isolated, many
stations are priced well above state averages
GasBuddy rolls out new app feature to protect consumers from price
“gouging”
BOSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–GasBuddy, the only smartphone app connecting nearly 70 million drivers
with their Perfect Pit Stop, today is warning motorists in the states
whose fuel supplies were impacted by recent Hurricanes Harvey and Irma,
to be vigilant at the pump as they refuel in the aftermath of the storms.
GasBuddy’s data suggests that some gas stations are taking advantage of
imbalances to supply and demand to materially increase prices, with
stations in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas
priced 20 cents or more above their state averages.
“Our data shows that while price gouging has taken place in the affected
areas, it’s on a fairly limited basis,” said Patrick DeHaan, a senior
petroleum analyst at GasBuddy. “That’s the good news. What we are seeing
is tantamount to ‘death by a thousand paper cuts.’ Which is to say,
stations are taking advantage of the current state of supply and demand,
driven by life-threatening circumstances, to raise prices in a more
imperceptible way that’s still adverse to motorists, particularly in
these dire circumstances.”
On a state-by-state basis, GasBuddy data indicates that:
-
In Florida, 24% of stations are 20 cents or more above the state
average of $2.71. The highest price in the state is $4.37. -
In Georgia, 20% of stations are 20 cents or more above the state
average of $2.75. The highest price in the state is currently $3.99. -
In South Carolina, 20% of stations are 20 cents or more above the
state average of $2.54. The highest price in the state is currently
$3.79. -
In North Carolina, 20% of stations are 20 cents or more above the
state average of $2.63. The highest price in the state is $4.09. -
In Texas, 21% of stations are 20 cents or more above the state average
of $2.53. The highest price in the state is $3.99.
GasBuddy Protecting Consumers with New Price ‘Gouge’ Feature
To help protect motorists, GasBuddy has added a new feature within its
popular smartphone app that enables consumers in affected areas to take
and submit photos of station prices that appear to be abnormally high
(i.e. more than $1.50 above what would be considered “normal” for the
area). This will enable GasBuddy to further certify and verify that the
millions of price reports its apps receive each day are accurate, no
matter how high the price reported is.
GasBuddy is the only smartphone app connecting nearly 70 million drivers
with their Perfect Pit Stop. GasBuddy’s crowdsourced data alerts
motorists to nearby stations and the availability and price of motor
fuels, power outages and other essential services at these stations. The
GasBuddy app has proved critical during hurricane season, when record
numbers of motorists downloaded and utilized the app making it the #2
app on iOS, and the #1 travel app; and was utilized by federal and local
governments to assess the situation in gasoline terms.
About GasBuddy
GasBuddy is a smartphone app connecting drivers with their Perfect Pit
Stop™. With 70 million downloads, GasBuddy is the leader in crowdsourced
information to help drivers find the best gas prices, closest stations,
friendliest service, cleanest restrooms, tastiest coffee and much more.
GasBuddy is the leading source for the most accurate, real-time fuel
prices at more than 140,000 gas stations in the U.S., Canada and
Australia. The Company’s B2B Retailer Software-as-a-Service (SaaS),
known as GasBuddy Business Pages, provide Fuel Marketers and Retailers
their best opportunity to maintain their station information, manage
their brand, and promote to their target consumer audience. For more
information, visit www.gasbuddy.com
or email [email protected].
Contacts
Media:
GasBuddy
Allison Mac
Director of Marketing and
Communications
[email protected]
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