MISSOURI GASOLINE PRICES ARE UP BUT LOWER THAN THEY WERE LAST YEAR

Motorists this Labor Day weekend will be paying less for gasoline than they did during the same holiday period one year ago, an official at the AAA Auto Club of Missouri said Thursday.

The average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline at a self-service pump in Missouri is $1.06, said Michael Right with the AAA.

That's down from last year's average price of $1.22 per gallon.

Right blamed last year's higher rate on the crisis in the Persian Gulf. Though Labor Day prices this year are lower than in 1990, he said, they have jumped slightly in recent weeks.

"Average prices for the Fourth of July weekend were $1.02, but it's gone up mainly because crude oil prices are up," he said.

Per-gallon prices in Cape Girardeau are currently $1.10 for regular unleaded self-serve. In St. Louis and Kansas City, per-gallon prices are lower, at $1.04 and $1.07 respectively.

Right said the average Missouri price is lower than in other states and other regions in the nation.

"Missourians need to appreciate the prices they are paying at the pumps in our state," he said. "People in other regions are paying as much as 23 cents more per gallon."

Prices are highest in the New England region, at $1.24, Right said. Travelers through the Great Lakes region will be paying an average of $1.21 per gallon, compared to $1.16 in the Midwest, $1.14 in the Mid-Atlantic states and $1.13 in the southeast and southwest regions.

The extended Labor Day weekend is traditionally one during which millions of Americans travel, many of them on the road.

"The AAA estimates that 23 million Americans will be on the road on trips in excess of 100 miles from their homes," Right said. "That's up one percent over last year."

And while they're paying less for gas, Missouri motorists probably won't have any trouble finding a place to purchase it.

Right said a survey of Missouri stations shows 80 percent will be open on Labor Day, and 30 percent of those will be open 24 hours.

To get the best price, Right said the AAA recommends purchasing gasoline in urban areas, where selection is greater.

"If you have the opportunity to shop around, shop around," he said.