Pocono News Section

Gas prices dip below three dollars

Gas prices dip below three dollars - Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at 4:27PM EST

Tuesday, Oct 14, 2008 @ 04:27pm EST

It should be welcome news to all drivers.

Gas prices dropping at record levels.

It's less than 3 dollars a gallon in a few places in Lackawanna County .

But what a difference a year makes.

When gas hit 2.99 a gallon in may of 2007, drivers weren't too happy.

Back then, one driver told us, "It's ridiculously too expensive. I mean there's no reason for it. No reason it's that expensive."

Another driver said, "Well they keep going up faster than my paycheck goes up. That's all I know."

Tuesday morning, drivers sang a different tune

Denise Wasilko of Scranton says, "I'm thinking, oh my god. 2.99, thank god, it's about time."

Prices dropped to 2.99 at stations like the O'neil highway Sunoco in Dunmore .

One driver says, "Yeah! Happy, happy. I'm driving too much."

This time around, 3 dollars was clearly good news to drivers like Bonnie Bendict.

She says, "I certainly did and i stopped on my way to work."

Regular unleaded hasn't been this low in Pennsylvania in nearly a year.

In the past two weeks, the Lundberg Survey says American gas prices dropped faster than any point in history.

Many say the big dip was badly needed.

Louis Kinney says, “It's a good thing and yes, it's really helpful."

Ray Levanavage of Pittston says, "Yeah, it help. It helps you with your paycheck every week. You can maybe start spending a little bit more, it might get this economy going a little bit more."

But drivers like Levanavage are still stumped at some gas prices.

The Mini-Mart here at Meadow Avenue and River Street in Scranton is at 3.91 a gallon.

At this Valero on Meadow Ave , 3.19, and 3.39 at the Citgo on meadow and Moosic in Scranton .

Bendict sums it up, saying, "That's why i always stop in Dunmore . This seems to be the cheapest one around."

And Tuesday morning, it's prices are helping ease the pain at the pump.

The manager of the "A" Plus Sunoco in Dunmore says since the price of a barrel of oil has gone down, it's allowing gas prices to go down .