GAS PAINS: It’s like the bad old days of the 1970s yesterday as cars line up for precious fuel on the Garden State Parkway. At least this station had gas — many didn’t (inset). (EPA)
Gasoline is scarce around the metropolitan area, with power outages shutting down pumps and supplies running out at gas stations that are open.
Pumps ran dry across The Bronx yesterday; a Sunoco station on Lafayette Avenue was out of regular by 3 p.m., despite charging $4.06 a gallon, about 14 cents higher than the city average.
“They are paying for it,” said cashier Umer Zulfigar. “It’s hard to find gas.”
It was the same at those stations in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island that had power.
Supplies were so short that motorists from blacked-out areas of New Jersey headed into the city to fill up their car tanks and gas cans.
The long lines at New York pumps weren’t nearly as bad as those across the Hudson.
“Forget New Jersey,” said Teaneck resident Joe Cerciello. “It’s out of fuel, and if there’s a station that’s open you have to wait two hours.”
Cerciello waited at a Gulf station to fill five gas cans for his generator.
“We figure it’ll be a week without power,” he said.
Frank Bisman, of Queens, watched in amazement as the Gas Sale station on Utopia Parkway near the Horace Harding Expressway jacked up its price by 50 cents, to $4.39 a gallon, while he was waiting on line at about 3 p.m.
“I couldn’t believe my eyes!” said the astonished Fresh Meadows resident.
He headed across the street to a Mobil station that earlier in the day raised its price to $4.15.
The station’s owner said she raised her price to keep pace with the competition.
By about 5 p.m., the Mobil station and others nearby had run out.
Regular gas was selling for an average $3.92 in the city yesterday, according to Gasbuddy.com.
State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has warned gas stations and other businesses against price gouging.
Last year, he charged two stations with price gouging during Hurricane Irene. One paid a $7,500 fine, and the other $3,000.