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Bluffton, Ind.
May 28, 2005

By Sarah Pulliam
Gas prices in Bluffton prove to be lower than the national and state averages as residents prepare for the holiday weekend.
Friday’s national average for regular unleaded fuel was $2.11, according to the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report, while gas stations in Bluffton were selling for $1.98 and $1.99.
The state average for Indiana was $2.01 while the average in Hawaii proved to be the nation’s high at $2.55.
“Lower prices are a good service to the community and they bring in more customers,” said Ramesh Arza.
Arza is owner of Clark Oil Corp. at 656 N. Main where gas is selling for $1.98.
Phil Ringger, owner of the Airplane Express and Service Station at 407 N. Main St. where gas is selling for $1.99, said the information that Bluffton’s gas prices are lower than the national average is good news.
“You get better traffic flow,” Ringger said. “I think people are getting used to it. Now, anything under $2 seems like a deal.”
Ringger said his job has become more difficult because of increased competition and decreasing profits.
“I don’t think loyalty is here anymore,” he said. “The bottom line is price.”
Ringger said each gas station chooses its price based on cost and competition. He said Wednesday night, half of the gas stations in Bluffton raised the price of gas to $2.09 at 8 p.m., but lowered it back to $1.99 by 11 a.m. Thursday based on competition.
“People are more conscious of gas prices,” Ringger said. “People are going to have to drive; they have a choice.”
Bluffton resident Lori Mossburg said she was happy to hear about the comparison of gas while she and her 4-year-old daughter Emily pumped gas at the Pak-a-sak gas station on Wabash Street.
“I remember moving here when it was 99 cents so I think they’re a little high,” Mossburg said.
The average price for regular fuel in Fort Wayne Friday was $2.02 and $2.00 in Indianapolis, according to AAA’s report.
The highest recorded price of gas included in the report in Fort Wayne was $2.32 on April 7, 2005.
As part of the Great Lakes region, Indiana’s regional average was $2.05 compared to the Pacific Coast’s average of $2.42. The Midwest region proved to have the lowest average of $1.98.
The average price of regular gasoline hit a nationwide record of $2.28 on April 11, the highest Americans have paid since March 1981 when it was $3.10 during the Iran-Iraq war, according to a May 26 Dallas Morning News report.
World-wide, the report stated that the average price of fuel in Great Britain is $5.94 in May while the price in Venezuela averaged around 12 cents a gallon in March.
AAA estimates more than 37 million Americans will travel during the holiday weekend, a 2.2 percent increase from last year, according to a company press release. More than 31 million of Americans will travel by car.
States surrounding Indiana proved to have a varied average: Michigan at $2.09, Illinois at $2.09, Ohio at $2.01 and Kentucky at $2.
Bluffton residents who are traveling during the holiday weekend can calculate the estimated cost of a trip by visiting www.fuelcostcalculator.com/.