TIJUANA, BAJA CALIFORNIA.- Californians are traveling to Mexico for cheaper gas, as fuel prices surge following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune and the Los Angeles Times.
The national average price for unleaded gasoline on Friday was $4.24 per gallon according to AAA, while in California, drivers are spending an average $5.9 per gallon and as much as $6.05 in Los Angeles.
At $3.96 a gallon in Tijuana, Mexico, the San Diego Union-Tribune and the Los Angeles Times reported, gas prices are a good $2 lower than in California, encouraging many to cross the border to fill up their tanks.
Californians aren’t alone in seeking cheaper gas out of the country. Drivers in El Paso, Texas, are also crossing the border into Mexico to fill up on gas, the New York Post reported on March 11. This week, the average price of gas in Texas has dropped from $4.23 per gallon to $3.82.
A drastic rise in fuel prices has followed the beginning of the war in Ukraine, exacerbating price surges already triggered by global inflation.
Stable Prices in Mexico
Despite this, prices for gas have remained relatively stable in Mexico, thanks to President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s pledge to keep oil prices under control by providing subsidies to Mexican oil companies and refineries.
Mexico is one of the largest oil producers in the world, with 1.9 billion barrels of oil produced daily in 2020, according to the U.S. International Trade Organization (ITA). Despite this, Mexico’s oil production has been in steady decline for several years and, because of a lack of refineries, the country imports most of its gasoline from the U.S.
Source: Newsweek Mexico
Baja California Post
