GasBuddy, G&M offer $2.15 a gallon gas in Burbank

Tara Albaugh fills up her car with gas. GasBuddy is surprising customers with low prices: $2.15 a gallon in the Los Angeles area from Sept. 16 to 18.

Sept. 16, 2015 11:10 AM PT

GasBuddy, the app that helps motorists find cheap gasoline, is giving Los Angeles-area drivers a break at the pump with $2.15-a-gallon deals, beginning Wednesday in Burbank.

Starting at 11:30 a.m., GasBuddy and G&M Oil will help motorists pay for their gas at the Chevron station at 140 E. Alameda Ave. The final price to consumers will be $2.15 a gallon — until the station runs out of gasoline, GasBuddy said.

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FOR THE RECORD

An earlier version of this article stated that discounted gas would be available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Chevron station at 2501 W. Olive Ave. The station is at 140 E. Alameda Ave., beginning at 11:30 a.m.

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The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline in the L.A. area on Wednesday was $3.30 a gallon, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California.

GasBuddy will surprise customers at a couple of other gas stations through Sept. 18 with the same offer.

GasBuddy decided to give consumers a break because Los Angeles often is ranked as having the most expensive gas in the nation — as much as $1 a gallon more than the U.S. average.

This year, Los Angeles drivers have endured sudden and huge price spikes. Just two months ago, gas prices were $4.30 a gallon.

“I’m just praying there aren’t any riots,” GasBuddy’s Allison Mac said, laughing.

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California gasoline prices are typically higher than the rest of the nation because of taxes and fees, as well as the unique blend of gasoline, designed to protect to the environment.

This year, California consumers were hit hard with high gas prices even as average prices across the country fell. Much of the problem was related to troubles at California oil refineries — the ExxonMobil Torrance plant, in particular.

ExxonMobil reduced production at the Torrance refinery, which provides 10% of the state’s capacity and 20% of Southern California’s, after an explosion at the facility in February. Since then, Torrance has operated at less than 20% of its normal output.

The explosion destroyed a pollution-control system, and ExxonMobil has been working on plans to bring the facility back into service.

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