AAA Texas: Weekend Gas Watch Gas Prices on Upswing

HOUSTON--Feb. 2, 20047, 2004--After four straight weeks of holding steady, gasoline prices in Texas are on the upswing, according to AAA Texas' Weekend Gas Watch.

Currently, the Texas average for a gallon of regular self-serve gasoline is $1.57 -- about two cents more than last week's average. Motorists in San Antonio are paying the least for a gallon of regular self-serve -- $1.54 per gallon. The Alamo City also posted the biggest increase of nearly three cents. Dallas tops the list at $1.59 per gallon -- about two cents more than last week.

"Since the start of the decade, springtime has seen sharp price increases for gasoline," said Rose Rougeau of AAA Texas. "The price jump happens as the industry makes its annual effort to comply with the various federal and state requirements for summer fuels."

AAA Texas' Weekend Gas Watch monitors the average price of gasoline at popular destinations for automobile trips.

Average Daily Prices as of 12:01 AM, February 27, 2004:

Area                   Current        Change            Record Price

Austin-San Marcos       $1.549     + 2.2 cents        $1.580(3/19/03)

Beaumont                $1.555     + 1.6 cents        $1.609(3/18/03)

Corpus Christi          $1.547     + 1.7 cents        $1.590(2/20/03)

Dallas                  $1.590     + 1.8 cents        $1.666(5/12/01)

Fort Worth              $1.581     + 2.3 cents        $1.660(5/22/01)

Galveston -             $1.561     + 1.1 cents        $1.653(5/16/01)
Texas City

Houston                 $1.556     + 0.6 cent         $1.639(5/12/01)

San Antonio             $1.535     + 2.9 cents        $1.582(3/18/03)

AAA Texas, an affiliate of AAA National, has been serving Texans since 1902. Today, more than a million AAA Texas members benefit from the organization's roadside assistance service, travel agency, financial products, insurance products and services, automotive pricing, buying and financing, trip planning services, and traffic safety programs. Information about these products and services is available on AAA Texas' Web site at www.aaa-texas.com.