Gainesville is expected to surge with travelers Saturday for the opening football game, but Gators fans are not the only people planning trips.
Labor Day travel is expected to be at its highest since 2008, according to an American Automobile Association report. About 34.7 million Americans will journey this weekend.
Though airfare and mid-range hotel prices are rising, gasoline prices are at a four-year low. About 85 percent of people are expected to travel by car, the report stated.
Florida’s average gas price is $3.37 — six cents cheaper than the national average, according to AAA’s Daily Fuel Gauge Report. Last year’s national average was $3.59. In Gainesville, prices average about $3.41.
Gas station manager Kyle Crawford, 24, said prices at his University Avenue BP station have dropped recently.
“We don’t set the gas prices; we have a corporate office that calls us twice a day and tells us what to set the gas prices at,” Crawford said.
Amanda Aguero, a 20-year-old UF English junior, said she’s noticed gas is cheaper.
“On my way up to Gainesville last week I actually saw gas for as low as $3.20, which was really surprising to me,” Aguero said.
[A version of this story ran on page 3 on 8/29/2014 under the headline "Lower gas prices for Labor Day weekend"]
