Running out of gas anywhere in San Francisco is bad. But running out near the Shell station at Fourth and Bryant might be the worst place.
There are few stops where the global rise in gas prices is more apparent than at what appears to be the city’s most expensive gas station, where the price Wednesday was a painful $6.50 a gallon.
It’s an extreme example of the surge at the pump. Combat between the United States, Israel, and Iran have rattled oil markets, sending gasoline prices climbing — with California paying the most in the country. For commuters and weekend motorists, that jump is already changing daily routines.
The national average for a gallon of regular gas hit $3.57 Wednesday, versus $2.99 a week earlier and $2.90 a month ago, according to AAA. In California, the average is $5.33 per gallon, while in San Francisco, it reached $5.59.
Prices remain below the June 2022 statewide peak of $6.48, but that’s not much of a silver lining.
Nora Inga, a second-grade teacher, rolled into the pricey SoMa station Wednesday with her fuel gauge nearly on E. She was driving from her Fremont home to the city to renew her Peruvian passport at the consulate downtown.
She was not pleased to learn that there was probably nowhere else in San Francisco that would charge her more.
“That’s great,” she said sarcastically.
Fremont resident Nora Inga, 25, didn’t know the Shell gas station at Fourth and Bryant streets was one of the most expensive in San Francisco until The Standard informed her. | Source: Garrett Leahy/The Standard
At her usual East Bay gas station, the cost of filling up her car from empty has jumped from $40 to $60 — an increase that has reshaped her social life. While she used to meet friends at the Dutch Bros Coffee shop in Concord, she’s now making plans closer to home.
“Because of the gas, we’re either contemplating doing something nearby or, like, just not driving that far,” she said.
Michael Vines, 48, who commutes from Mill Valley to San Francisco to work as a security guard, said he has cut back on eating out, from three or four times a week to two. It used to cost $40 to fill his car, and now it’s $50-$60.
“I got to come to work, and I can’t commute on BART or anything, so I just deal with it,” he said.
To cover the extra $20 it costs to fill his tank, Michael Vines is cutting back on eating out. | Source: Garrett Leahy/The Standard
Others have yet to feel the impact but are considering making changes to how they get around.
Stepping out of a blue Audi A5 sedan, Boris B., who declined to share his last name, said he worked in finance for Apple before retiring. The eye-popping prices at the pump haven’t led him to change his lifestyle yet, but he plans to take bikeshares or Muni for trips around the city if gas prices remain high. Boarding public transit would be quite a change for a man who doesn’t know which bus runs close to his South Beach condo.
“That’s a good question,” he said.
Still, for bike trips in Monterey or visits to his second home, he’ll have to drive the Audi, which runs on premium gas, no less — selling Wednesday for $6.70 a gallon.
Chad Bylsma, an apartment maintenance supervisor, said he’s thinking of taking BART from his home in Oakland instead of driving his personal car, a 14-year-old Kia Soul.
“It’s probably gonna change my driving habits soon,” he said. “As long as this war keeps going.”
Bylsma’s company, Essex, is picking up the $60-plus gas tab for his company truck, a 2010 Ford Ranger.
“I’m using a company card for this, so I don’t care about the price,” he said.
At what appears to be the city’s priciest gas station, drivers said they have to cut back on other spending to afford gas. | Source: Garrett Leahy/The Standard
John Walker, who uses a BMW touring motorcycle as his primary mode of transport, said he has noticed a large increase in the cost of filling the tank.
“It’s ridiculous,” he said, taking drags from a cigarette.
He lives in San Francisco and works with people with disabilities, and often takes pleasure rides on his bike. Despite soaring fuel prices, he hasn’t changed his habits.
“I just ride fast,” he said. “I ride for fun.”
If fuel prices keep climbing, he has a plan to scrounge up the extra cash at a casino. Poker’s his game of choice, although he admits it hasn’t always been financially rewarding.
“I gamble,” he said while refueling on his way to the San Pablo Lytton Casino.
Fred Hick, who manages the Shell, said the supplier, Boyett Petroleum, charges the station a high price for gas because of its “prime” location. “It’s the last thing you see before you go over the bridge,” he said. “Nobody wants to be stuck on the bridge out of gas.”
Hick said he has asked the owner of the station, Irvine-based investment firm Allrise Capital, to change vendors, but it’s locked into a contract. The station marks up each gallon by roughly $1.50.
“We have to have our markup in order just to make payroll and keep the lights on,” he said. “We don’t want to have our gas that high.”
Allrise Capital plans to redevelop the area into a mixed-use high-rise building, according to its website, and the Shell station will eventually disappear. But it won’t be losing Hick’s business, as he buys his gas elsewhere.
“I will never buy my own gasoline,” he said. “It’s ridiculously high.”