Gas prices have been rising as holiday travel season begins, but that is also okay with some Houma-Thibodaux residents.
David Bassham of Houma said in a response to a question which he Courier and Daily Comet has posed today to their Facebook followers "It's no big deal. Ten cents more per gallon had worked out to two dollars more per tank. If it gets the oilfield working again, it's money well spent”
A record 103 million Americans have been expected to travel during the Christmas and New Year's holidays, according to the American Automobile Association. That's up 1.5 percent, or 1.5 million people, compared to last year.
The group has attributed the increase to an improved labor market and rising wages along the country.
The AAA estimated that U.S. drivers have saved more than $27 billion at the gas pumps this year, compared to the same period last year. Today's national average price for a gallon of regular unleaded was $2.24, 24 cents more than on New Year's Day 2016. Most U.S. drivers have to pay the second-cheapest New Year's Day gas prices since 2009, when the national average was $1.62.
Locally, the gas cost an average of $2.10 a gallon on Monday, according to GasBuddy.com which is up 3 cents for the week, 9 cents for the month and 25 cents for the year.
By Prakriti Neogi
