VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — AAA Hampton Roads experts say tensions between Russia and Ukraine play a big factor in the recent rise in gas prices, but gas prices have been steadily increasing for several months.
"During the wintertime, prices rise because there's a demand for heating oil," said AAA Hampton Roads Spokesman Ryan Adcock. "The prices are also a result of the overall pandemic, but the recent spike is mostly due to that political tension between Russia and Ukraine."
Adcock said Hampton Roads' average gas price of about $3.31 per gallon is slightly above the state average. As tensions grow between Russia and Ukraine, so do the prices for crude oil.
"It really just puts it into perspective, the fact that something could be happening on the opposite side of the globe," said Adcock. "But we can still see that effect in our wallets here."
Hampton Roads' everyday drivers aren't the only ones feeling the pinch at the pump. Some businesses are facing a big challenge with these prices when it comes to their delivery services.
Pressing on the heels of their busiest season, flower shop deliveries are hitting a road bump with the increased gas prices.
Owners of Virginia Beach Florist, Russell and Kimberly Price, said they had to increase their delivery services during the pandemic, so they could still sell their product without having to be face-to-face.
"We did really well through the pandemic because of that," said Kimberly.
Price said they had to make adjustments over time and now they will just have to make more accommodations while the cost at the pump remains high.
"We would have to to try to still keep our customers to make them, but still be able to afford deliveries. Even if that means we only serve a certain zip code area for one day and change the process," said Kimberly.
"We're middle-of-the-road florists," said Russell. "We're not too high and not too low. We can't lose money, but we have to do what we have to do."
Adcock said gas prices are still high due to a domino effect from the pandemic. He says depending on what happens with Russia and Ukraine, it could be a while until the prices go down.
He says downloading the GasBuddy app on your phone is one way to help you find the best prices in your area.