DUNKIRK, N.Y. (WKBW) — Residents in Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties are paying more for gas than neighboring areas, with prices consistently marked up by 20 to 30 cents per gallon in multiple towns.
I headed out on a gas price road trip after hearing complaints from viewers about price disparities between counties. What I discovered confirms what many residents have been reporting — gas prices in certain areas appear to be fixed at the same higher rate.
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In Dunkirk, State Senator George Borrello, who represents both Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties, expressed concern about the situation.
"The people of this community are owed at least an explanation, and if the answer is we have to pay more for fuel, we have to, we don't do as much volume in our convenience stores, so we have to make more money off of the gas that we sell," Borello said. "It's any number of factors that impact that, but I think the people deserve an explanation of why that is."
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Throughout my journey, I found gas priced at $3.39 per gallon at multiple locations in different towns. In Dunkirk and Olean, the price remained consistently at $3.39.
One of the exceptions was on the reservation, where duty-free fuel was available for $2.95 per gallon.
In Olean, I met Jill Hathaway, one of the viewers who had contacted me about the issue. She explained how these higher prices affect her daily life.
"I live on a fixed income," Hathaway said. "I have parents that are elderly, and they get very little from Social Security, and that's really struggling because where we live, everything's very spread out. And it's very difficult to keep up with gas prices."
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Hathaway also questioned the consistency of pricing across different towns.
"Why is it $3.39 in Jamestown, Olean and Portville?" Hathaway said. "Is it the same person running all the prices...and why do you go a little out of town and the price changes drastically?"
It's a question that remains unanswered, as no gas station managers or owners were available to comment on the pricing structure. I'll continue investigating this issue to find answers for our viewers.
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