People upset by high gas prices

MERIDIAN, Miss. (WTOK) - The cost of traveling lately has not been so easy on people’s wallets. Gas prices nationally average nearly $4.50 per gallon. Those prices are expected to go even higher. This is causing frustration for drivers everywhere.

A lot of people locally are not happy with gas being over $4 a gallon.

We spoke with people who are upset they have to pay an extra $20 or more to fill their tanks. One woman said gas is just too high for her. She has to fill her SUV every week.

“It is getting hard with the gas prices. Especially, with the people that commute back and forth to work. I am coming from Clarke County to Meridian every day and it is getting very pricey. It is over $50 a week for me. Whenever I bought this car, it was about $30 to fill up, now it is over $50 every time. I go through about a tank a week. It is really hitting the pockets really hard. I wish it was something that would change that it would go back down,” said Jessica Stores.

“I think we should look at our president to see what he is doing. I think it is ridiculous that it is high because the United States has plenty of gas. Why aren’t we using the gas we got?” asked David Mills.

The Meridian Fire Department, like other city and county agencies, is also facing major gas price issues.

“We don’t let money go to waste. We are not going out buying extra stuff if we have the extra money,” said Meridian Fire Chief Jason Collier. “All this stuff is necessary, obviously. This year we are trending to come over budget. We would have to find that money from somewhere. It could actually cost us being able to buy pants, turnout gear, firefighter gear, helmets, fire hoses, and the necessities that we may be able to get because we have to move money around.”

The national average price for gas rose over 15 cents per gallon in just the past week, and it’s still climbing. The national average for diesel also hit a record of $5.54 a gallon, according to AAA.

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