GasBuddy Warns Motorists of Unusually High Prices At Some Gas Stations in Affected Areas In Wake of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma

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.

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GasBuddy Extreme Price Reporting Feature (Graphic: Business Wire)

GasBuddy Extreme Price Reporting Feature (Graphic: Business Wire)

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 press@gasbuddy.com.