Drivers in Big Sur better bring along big money.
A remote gas station in the tiny coastal hamlet of Gorda‑by‑the‑Sea is charging nearly $10 a gallon, turning a routine pit stop into a wallet-draining experience.
“Over there in LA, we’re at about, like, $6 max, which is something that hits everyone like crazy,” driver Gustavo Fraga told NBC Los Angeles. “But here it’s $10. I’ve never seen that, ever.”
Station owner Leo Flores said he isn’t gouging driver with his sky-high prices. With no access to the electrical grid, his pumps run on generators and fuel has to be trucked in across miles of rugged coastline.
Every logistical step drives the price up, and the pumps themselves won’t even display anything higher than $9.99, the technical limit on the station’s system.
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For travelers used to California’s already high gas costs — the state average rose to $5.89 a gallon on Thursday — Gorda’s rates feel like highway robbery.
But locals say it’s the price of isolation. This stretch of Highway 1 has few alternative fuel stops, and for drivers heading north or south, it’s either pay the premium or risk running on fumes.
Many motorists fill up just enough to make it to the next station, rather than topping off their tanks.
“They probably could charge $20, and if you have to get gas, you have to get gas,” one driver told ABC 7.
