The statewide gas price average in Texas is $1.79 for a gallon of regular unleaded fuel, according to the AAA Texas Weekend Gas Watch. That price is one cent less than on this day last week and is 47 cents less per gallon compared to this day last year. Of the major metropolitan areas surveyed in Texas, drivers in El Paso are paying the most on average at $2.06 while drivers in Amarillo are paying the least at $1.65 per gallon. The national average price for a gallon of regular unleaded is $2.11, which is a penny less when compared to this day last week and 48 cents less than the price per gallon at this same time last year.
Decreasing demand and growing supply continue to push retail gas prices down even further as the Thanksgiving holiday period approaches, historically one of the busiest-travel holiday periods annually. However, this year AAA expects a decrease in Thanksgiving travel year-to-year due to increasing COVID-19 positive case numbers, renewed quarantine guidelines and the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance. All of this has prompted many Texans, who had plans to travel, to reconsider. Click here to view AAA Texas Thanksgiving 2020 Travel Forecast.
“Even with Texans filling up with the cheapest gas for Thanksgiving in 12 years, AAA anticipates the largest year-to-year decline in travel volume since the Great Recession,” said AAA Texas spokesperson Daniel Armbruster. “Typically falling gas prices would motivate more people to travel, but given the rising number of COVID-19 cases across Texas and the U.S., that will not be the reality this year.”
Drivers in Texas are paying some of the cheapest prices at the pump, ranking 2nd lowest in the country, according to gasprices.aaa.com.
For Americans who make the personal decision to travel for the holiday, it is important to know the risks involved and ways to keep yourself and others safe. In addition to CDC guidance, travelers should also be aware of local and state travel restrictions, including testing requirements and quarantine orders. Travelers can visit TripTik.AAA.com to find the latest state and local restrictions along their route.
Prices up to date at press time using market prices posted at 3:41 a.m. Motorists can find current gas prices along their route with the free and revamped AAA App for iPhone, iPad and Android. The app can also be used to map a route and learn traffic conditions along that route, find discounts, locate parking, book a hotel and request and track AAA roadside assistance. Learn more at www.AAA.com/mobile.
To help members and non-members identify quality auto repair shops that can assist in the maintenance and repair of their vehicles, AAA offers the Approved Auto Repair program as a free public service. AAA-approved repair facilities meet and maintain high professional standards for training, equipment, cleanliness and customer service. Motorists can look for the Approved Auto Repair sign at local auto repair facilities, or search for a nearby AAA-approved shop online at AAA.com/Repair. AAA Texas branch offices throughout the state can be found by visiting www.AAA.com. Follow AAA Texas on Twitter: @AAATexas and Facebook: www.facebook.com/AAATexas.