According to AAA, the national average for a gallon of gas rose 45 cents from last week.
"It's rough on everybody right now," said Manuel Perez."I own my own tow company. I'm paying about $4.80 for diesel right now. Any higher than that and I'll have to raise up my prices a little bit," said Perez."We do a lot of driving. I drive every day. One of my biggest expenses is gas," said Tucson business owner, Adam Henson.
As of Monday, the price for a regular gallon of gas in Pima County is near the national average. According to the American Automobile Association , drivers can expect to pay around $4.06 per gallon.Kaiser is a volunteer at Cody's Friends: a Tucson non-profit that provides, and often delivers, pet food to people in need.Volunteers donate their time and gas, but said it is well worth it.
"With rent going up, with gas prices going up, with groceries going up. The basics. Milk and bread. Do you pay your rent or do you feed your children? Do you feed your dog? The numbers of people that come here have doubled," said Cody's Friends Director, Amber Allen. When it comes to gas, AAA said members of the International Energy Agency plan to release $61.7 million bbl from their reserves. This has provided some hope to drivers.