Want To Know Which S.A.-Area Gas Stations Still Have Fuel, Lowest Prices? There's An App

SAN ANTONIO, TX — Assuming there's supply amid panic buying, several gas stations in the San Antonio area are offering the lowest fuel prices in the region.

The forced shutdown of several refineries in the Texas Gulf Coast due to Hurricane Harvey-induced flooding has created a delay in fuel delivery. What followed was an all-out panic among motorists mistakenly believing there was a coming gas shortage—despite the global oil glut and an abundant supply in Texas overall.

But GasBuddy.com has come to the rescue, devising maps of stations that still have plenty of supply on hand—and those that are plumb out of the liquid commodity. According to the app's data, some 400 service stations in the San Antonio area were without fuel on Sunday—an astoundingly high number, but less than the nearly 575 fueling stations tapped out Saturday night.

Austin, Dallas, San Antonio and other cities saw major lines at the gas pump as anxious motorists rushed to fill up their tanks before the supply ran out. Some drivers hoarded fuel in the process, driving up to the gas pump with industrial-size containers—further lessening the local supply.

In San Antonio, Mayor Ron Nirenberg in public statements has pleaded at least twice with motorists to be considerate and gas up as they normally would rather than hoard fuel. But his entreaties so far have been to no avail, as the run at the gas pumps continued through the weekend.

Related stories:

Hurricane Harvey: Flood-Induced Oil Refineries Shutdown Could Spike Gas Prices

Hurricane Harvey: Social Media-Driven Panic Leads To Mad Rush For Gasoline In Texas

By Sunday, the gas pandemonium was further calmed after State Rep. Lyle Larson's announcement of a major delivery of what amounts to liquid gold given the demand.

"After speaking with gas distributors in San Antonio this morning, wanted to share an update: 118 semi-truck loads carrying 25,000 barrels (1 million gallons) of gas are being delivered to Shell stations in San Antonio today, with the same delivery scheduled for Tuesday," Larson wrote to constituents across social media. "Valero and HEB stores' supply are growing daily out of the Three Rivers and Corpus Christi refineries as well. Hopefully we should see the retail gas access issue diminish by next weekend in San Antonio."

Larson, a Republican, took the opportunity in his urgent missive to promote construction of more pipelines to avoid a gas panic repeat in the future: "All gas distributors indicated that we MUST construct more large-scale pipelines out of refinery regions into population centers to avoid this in the future," Larson wrote. "This Mad Max experience can be avoided if we make this a priority after the hurricane season."

The point is debatable, given that the panic was largely man-made and spread through social media with false information. The steady flow of fuel into local gas stations was always intact had it not been for the mad rush by consumers reacting to social media reports of an outright shortage, fueling up en masse simultaneously while interrupting the normal consumer pace. The problem also was exacerbated by the prevalence of gas hoarders taking industrial-sized containers or multiple normal-sized ones to area gas stations.

Could this have been avoided with more pipelines? Perhaps no, perhaps yes. But this may best be set aside as a discussion for another day, once the dust settles from the historic storm and displaced residents are made whole once more with state and federal aid. Larson, a member of a political party that views unfettered pipeline construction as panacea, didn't wait for these other exigencies to take place before voicing his support for more large-scale construction, and it's likely a point to be made in the coming days, weeks, months and years.

But back to the most pressing need for consumers: Gas availability. Assuming the following gas stations have a robust supply on hand, below are the lowest gas prices in the region. The list is compiled by GasBuddy.com, a smartphone app connecting drivers with gas stations offering the lowest gas prices that's been downloaded nearly 70 million downloads.

The app not only helps find lowest fuel prices, but the closest gas stations, those with the friendliest service, cleanest restrooms, best coffee and more. The website can be found at www.gasbuddy.com. The site has such data for more than 140,000 gas stations nationwide. In the wake of the rush at the oil pumps, the app's creators also have devised maps showing the stations that have plentiful supply.

In times like these, its value as a resource has been heightened. Following is a listing of lowest gas prices in the San Antonio area as of Saturday. (You might want to Google the stations before making a trip to find a telephone number and inquire about their gas availability.) Bear in mind, some of the information supplied below is subject to change at a moment's notice.

SAN ANTONIO

Little Corner Store: 4823 Blanco Rd., $2.02 regular, $2.55 mid-grade.

Prince Grocery Store: 1211 Cupples Rd., $2.04 regular, other prices not available.

Platinum Food Mart: 14330 Nacogdoches Rd., $2.05 regular, other prices not available.

Speedy Stop Super Mart: 1326 Bandera Rd., $2.07 regular, other prices not available.

Chevron: 7019 Walzem Rd., $2.09 regular, $2.89 premium.

BOERNE

Citgo: 942 N Main St., $2.28 regular, $2.35 diesel.

HEB: 420 W Bandera Rd., $2.39 regular, $2.34 mid-grade, $2.25 diesel.

Exxon: 440 E. Bandera Rd., $2.48 regular, $2.49 diesel.

Corner Store: 441 W Bandera Rd., $2.49 unleaded, $2.39 diesel.

Exxon: 123 N. Main St., $2.49 regular, $2.39 diesel.

NEW BRAUNFELS

Shell: 974 N Walnut Ave., $2.19 regular; $2.35 mid-grade; $2.46 premium; $2.25 diesel.

Shell: 1122 IH-35 S., $2.25 regular; $2.39 mid-grade; $2.79 premium; $2.39 diesel.

Valero: 895 FM-306, $2.25 regular; $2.39 mid-grade; $2.64 premium; $2.39 diesel.

Valero: 1512 S Seguin Ave., $2.25 regular; $2.39 mid-grade; $2.34 diesel.

Citgo: 1836 Spur St., $2.29 regular, other prices not available.

SAN MARCOS

Exxon: 2041 IH-35 N Ste 104, $2.09 regular; $2.19 mid-grade; $2.56 premium; $2.39 diesel.

Exxon: 1701 Old RM-12, $2.15 regular; $2.29 mid-grade; $2.69 premium.

Valero: 704 E Hopkins St., $2.19 regular, other prices not available.

Sunoco: 1903 N IH-35, $2.22 regular, other prices unavailable.

Sunoco: 2101 SH-123 Redwood Dr., $2.22 regular; $2.35 mid-grade; $2.65 premium; $2.43 diesel.

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