Gas price surge for spring brings more pain at the pump

FOX 2 - Many drivers say they can’t afford to take the pain at the gas pump any longer.

"Ooh wee, (I) limit my trips," said one driver.

Just when you thought gas prices were heading in the right direction after weeks of going up - suddenly, prices have shot right back up again.

"Gas is too expensive, it’s like spending $60, $70 every time I come to the pump," said another driver.

Some business owners have to pass the expense on to their customers.

"I’m in construction. I drive around a lot, so we have to charge more for what we do," said Steven Braggs.

"If you’re angry about high gas prices  - so are the station owner, and so is the people who work in the gas station," said Mark Griffin.

Griffin is the president of The Michigan Petroleum Association and the Michigan Association of Convenience Stores.

"We sell about 2,500 gallons a day per location," he said. "There’s 4,800 gas stations in Michigan and we need to be able to generate enough cash flow to refill our tanks."

But as gas prices go up, experts say profits are not.

"We used to make 5-6 cents per gallon, that's all - but not anymore," said Alwaled Saleh, a gas station manager.

"Retailers are forced unfortunately to raise their prices just to keep up," Griffin said.

Griffin says the issue right now is that the inventory level is too low for crude oil.

"It’s a commodity - it is traded on an open market, so when inventory is down, and demand is high, it’s increasing as we go into spring and summer driving, the market price goes up," he said.

Industry analysts say other factors are also at play.

"It’s a global commodity whether it is something going on in Ukraine, or the Middle East, or a hurricane that hits the Gulf Coast of the US, it all affects this global commodity price," Griffin said.

Experts say one solution to driving gas prices down is production needs to be increased, nationally.

"We need to see more production of oil locally in the United States," Griffin said.

It’s what drivers and gas station owners want because higher gas prices take money away from both sides.

"We don’t like high prices because it takes the money out of our customers pocket where they could come into our stores," Griffin said. "That’s really where our profitability is at inside the store The pop, the candy, the water."