By ABC-7 Anchor-Reporter Stephanie Valle
JUAREZ, Mexico - After converting from pesos to dollars and liters to gallons, ABC-7 has learned that gas in Juarez is selling for about $2.82 a gallon for regular unleaded fuel. That's nearly 60 cents less than El Paso drivers are currently paying.
One Juarez resident said he's cut his fueling trips across the border to El Paso drastically since prices in the United States jumped in the last three weeks.
"Doing the line and doing everything, it's just a waste of time so we put gas over here," Javier Ovalle told said as he waited for the service station man to finish pumping his fuel.
All Mexican gas stations are owned by Pemex, regulated by the federal government, and offer full service.
Genaro Baca, the manager of a Pemex station in Juarez, told ABC-7 the government will usually raise the price two to four cents at the beginning of the month.
"I've seen a lot more Americans coming to Juarez to get gas in the last three weeks," Baca said.
But the drivers who had Texas license plates told us price wasn't an issue when it came to filling up. One driver said he didn't even notice the difference in price. Another driver said she was only getting enough gas to get her car over the bridge into El Paso, where she would pay for a fill-up.
Sandra Arteaga said, "Right now I don't have enough gas to get over the border to pick up my kids." Arteaga dismissed the low cost, saying the gas is cheaper in Mexico, but it lasts longer in El Paso.
Some experts predict the average price of regular unleaded fuel in the United States will skyrocket past $4.50 a gallon by summer.