KINGSVILLE, Tx — Everyone’s feeling the pain at the pump right now. KRIS 6 Neighborhood News reporter Stephanie Molina spoke with Kingsville drivers about how rising gas prices are hitting their wallets.
"Right now I work out of town, so I work in Robstown, so I got to drive back and forth, and like every 3 days I got to put gas, so it's like $70 every 3 days," Arturo Trevino, a Kingsville resident, said.
For many drivers, that kind of cost is becoming the norm. Across the country, gas prices are climbing, driven in part by global oil supply disruptions tied to the war with Iran—and in Kingsville, neighbors say those rising costs are quickly adding up.
"I commute to Beeville every day…and yeah, it's hitting me pretty hard," Victor Vilches, a Kingsville resident, said. "Right now I just put 80 bucks of gas, and it probably lasts me till tomorrow at noon."
Kingsville sits along U.S. Highway 77, a heavily traveled route for drivers stopping for gas.
"It’s kind of like ridiculous because as a college student and who drives a lot, especially like not around from this area, it kind of breaks my budget a little bit," Jay Gomez, a traveler, said.
According to AAA, the national average for gas today is $3.88. In Texas, it’s $3.58, up from $2.55 just one month ago. It is a sharp increase that has many drivers looking back.
"I kind of miss my 2.50 cents gas," Gomez said.
In Corpus Christi, the average sits at $3.58, while Kleberg County is slightly higher at $3.60.
"Especially going down through here, like I'd be seeing gas prices between like 3.69 cents or like 3.49. I'm like, Jesus," Gomez said.
Neighbors say they are hoping for a resolution overseas that could help bring prices back down.
"Cause I can't afford for it to get to California prices," Cameron Carosielli, a Kingsville resident, said. "I came down here to Texas to escape all that."
In the meantime, some are finding clever solutions to ease their pain at the pump.
"If I drive 80, it gives me about 12 miles a gallon," Vilches said. "If I bring it down to about 70 and it gives me about 14.6 miles a gallon, so that's what I'm doing. I'm driving slower now."
For now, drivers are anxiously waiting for prices to come down.
