SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Gas prices surged 9 cents overnight to a national average of $4.39 per gallon, marking the biggest one-day jump in prices in the last 6 weeks.<\/p>\n
Friday\u2019s average in Vermont was $4.33 per gallon, up from $4.24 Thursday, and $4.05 in early April. <\/p>\n
According to AAA, prices are now at the highest level since July 2022, at the start of the war in Ukraine. The war in Iran is to blame for the current surge and growing concerns over languishing peace talks.<\/p>\n
The spike is a heavy weight on both daily commuters and small businesses in Vermont. <\/p>\n
Heidi Gnaedinger, owner of Genus Garden Design, does landscaping around Burlington\u2019s Hill Section. Though she doesn\u2019t drive long distances, she\u2019s at the pump about once a week.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sure it\u2019ll be over $100 to fill up my tank,\u201d Gnaedinger said.<\/p>\n
After filling up, the cost was even higher than expected.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought it was going to be $100 but it\u2019s $125 to fill up my tank. That\u2019s ridiculous,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The price increase is affecting her business.<\/p>\n
\u201cDefinitely. It\u2019s costing me a lot of money,\u201d Gnaedinger said.<\/p>\n
She said she has begun thinking about adding a surcharge for gas or raising her hourly rate by $5.<\/p>\n
AAA has been forecasting fuel and travel for decades. AAA representative Dan Goodman said they don\u2019t usually see big changes in travel unless gas spikes to more than $5 per gallon. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s more when gas prices hit that\u2014 unfortunately\u2014 hit that $5 mark, that\u2019s when we see travel behavior change,\u201d Goodman said.<\/p>\n
But even with prices still below that $5 mark in Vermont, some residents say it\u2019s enough to make them change course.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat definitely would affect any plans that we would have. And also airfare, no travel plans on the airfare because that\u2019s going up a little bit, too,\u201d said Charlie Fitzpatrick of South Burlington.<\/p>\n
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