Buckle up: Metro Vancouver gas prices continue to rise after 20+ cent jump in 3 days

It is sticker shock for many Metro Vancouver drivers Friday morning as gas prices jumped, yet again.

Many stations around the region are posting just under $2.20 a litre for regular, with prices rising about 25 cents in three days.

Unfortunately, this is the trajectory we’re now on, says Paul Pasco, principal consultant with Kalibrate, based in Calgary.

He warns gas prices are only expected to go up in the weeks and months ahead, meaning the days of paying somewhere in the mid $1.80s could be just a sweet memory for a while.

“When prices are that low, I’ll see everyone fill their tanks [but] as soon as prices get over $1.50 (in Calgary), I’ll see a lot of pumps left at exactly $50 and that means someone has budgeted $50 and behaviours and patterns change and that also is a part of what’s happening in [Calgary,] a lot of people are going back to work and back to school — demand is picking up again,” he explained.

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Pasco says between tightening supply and high demand, drivers end up paying the ultimate price.

Besides our high gas taxes, Pasco explains another reason why B.C. drivers are paying so much is because the province is part of what’s called PADD 5, which is the regional breakdown of supply. It’s a pipeline which carries fuel to the west coast from the U.S. Gulf Coast and because it’s costly to transport it so far, Metro Vancouver drivers pay more for fuel.

“What I’m personally watching right now is what’s going to happen in the ethanol markets. B.C. would be the most impacted by that, given you have the tightest blending restrictions across Canada and if we see the yields continue to be low and the transport price continues to be hard, there is room for the price to increase,” added Pasco.

The other factor driving demand, which is normal for the fall, is that kids head back to school and people head into the office. However, after more than two years of working from home, this is a major change for those being mandated to be back in-house.

“Demand is continuing to rise as people are starting to pick up normal behaviours, even with a looming recession, people are still being called back to the office. A lot of companies have put the call back that people have to return to the physical office space.”

There is a lot of talk about gas prices, but Pasco points out diesel prices aren’t great either. They never really dropped over the summer and with more increases on the way, extra costs absorbed by big trucks carrying goods, will likely get passed on to you.

Metro Vancouver’s record for gas prices was $2.36.9 a litre, which we were paying a few months ago.

B.C. drivers grapple with high price at the pump

CityNews caught up with some drivers who were out filling up Friday morning.

For some, there’s no choice.

“To be honest, I don’t really watch the price. I just buy and go,” said David, who adds filling up isn’t something he can avoid.

However, others aren’t so easy going about it.

“It’s very hard for us, right? Because we are the ones who fill up every day. It’s not affordable, the fares are all the same — it’s a pinch,” one taxi driver told CityNews, noting big jumps in the price of gas direclty affect his ability to earn a living.

One woman says she’s had to switch vehicles to keep her household’s fuel bills down.

“I end up driving the Jeep and I get my boyfriend to drive my car because he goes farther and I figure it’s easier, cheaper for me to drive this thing than it would be for him,” she explained.

Some people say they’re even willing to drive around to find savings of a few cents amid sky-high prices. Driving across the Canada-U.S. border for a fill has also become a more attractive option for many drivers.