Gas prices push Billings drivers to rethink how they fill up and what they drive

Gas prices in Billings are prompting some drivers to reconsider what they drive and how often they fill up.

GasBuddy lists the lowest price in Billings Monday at $4.28 a gallon.
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AAA, whch tracks prices, puts the city average at $4.52, and at least one station on Grand Avenue is charging $4.79 a gallon.

Billings driver Jerry Stewart said the difference between fueling a motorcycle and a pickup truck is significant.

"This is only five and a half gallon, so it's only like 25 bucks, you know, but my pickup, which has a 26-gallon tank, it takes up to, you know, 80 to a hundred bucks to fill up," Stewart said.

Rylee Wiggins is also weighing his options.

"This pickup is starting to get pretty spendy. I'm considering moving to a smaller vehicle," Wiggins said at the Billings station.

Not everyone is adjusting their habits. Some drivers, particularly those who rely on fuel to run a business, say they simply fill up wherever they are.

"If I'm in a different area of different part of town, I just go to the nearest gas station," said driver Jason Guinta. "I don't really try to go around trying to find the best rates. I mean, when we're on the go, we just need to just fill up and just get on to the next thing because time is money."

Karolyn Takes Horse, who lives in Hardin near the Crow Reservation, said she makes a point of supporting a tribally owned gas station.

"There's an area where we tend to support the tribe that owns a gas station, and we tend to go over there to get gas every now and then just to support them," Takes Horse said.

Some drivers are simply limiting how much they travel.

"I only fill my car up once a week or more because I don't go anywhere," said LaBonne Allen. "I stay home. That's what I'm going to do when I go back."

Ashlyn Mueller said convenience often outweighs the savings from driving farther for cheaper fuel.

"I feel like anywhere that's convenient and close is better than trying to save money because then you have to go further to save money," Mueller said.

Driving through Billings, prices at nearby stations can vary noticeably.

Bob van der Valk, an editor of an oil industry magazine, said the variation comes down to what the market will support.

"What the market will bear," van der Valk said. "Dealer tank wagon says, you have 22 stations on one corner pricing $4.50 and about a mile away by next to the highway is $4.75. Getting 25 cents a gallon more."

Van der Valk said dealers sometimes ask their oil company to approve a price change.

He attributes higher crude prices to the conflict with Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Some customers share that view.

"I think definitely something could be done about the gas prices. I think go through, you know, the little strait thing, blow people up, take it over, I think it'd be just fine," Rhonda Miller said.

"I think it's hurting the American people more than it's putting any kind of suffering on (Iran)," Jack Bobo said.

"If they end that bickering crap they got going on, then I think prices will come back down to where they need to be," Jason Miller said.

Even when the situation is resolved, van der Valk cautioned that relief at the pump may not come quickly.

"Shoot up like a rocket and drifted down like a feather," van der Valk said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.