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Gasoline Prices Drop!
Traffic was back to normal
yesterday with the lowering of
gasoline prices.
Reports of empty tanks at
gasoline stations were common as
most drivers had waited until
yesterday morning to fill up,
paying ¢25 colones less for a
litre of super gasoline than the
night before. Many were forced
to buy super gasoline for
regular was sold out at many
stations.
Gasoline stations reported an
increase in sales and traffic on
the downtown streets was with
the normal congestion and
blockages.
The situation at the RECOPE (Refinadora
Costarricense de Pertroléo) was
hectic as tanker trucks made
lines all day long waiting to
fill up for their next delivery
and then the next.
Long lines to fill up are normal
before gas hikes and after
reductions, according to a
RECOPE spokesperson. When price
hikes are expected, gasoline
retailers fill their tanks with
the cheaper gasoline to sell it
at the higher prices. But, in
price reductions, the reverse
happens. Retailers allow their
tanks to empty out with the
higher priced gasoline and then
buy the lower priced fuel,
causing shortages.
With yesterday's reduction, the
price of a litre of gasoline in
Costa Rica is now set at ¢399
(down from ¢242) for super, ¢381
(down from ¢405) for regular and
¢286 (¢305) for deisel.
The price of crude oil on
international markets has been
dropping in the past week,
hitting a low of us$46.80 a
barrel, the lowest since last
February when it started
spiraling past the us$47 mark.
RECOPE says that if the price
keeps dropping during the next
two weeks, further price
reductions could be in order.
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