Price war drives gas in St. Thomas to 86.6 cents per litre

Drivers may want to fill up sooner rather than later, thanks to a gas pump price war south of London.

In St. Thomas, Ont., gas at a number of retailers has dropped to under 90 cents per litre, in a week when most motorists in the area have been paying more than a dollar.

One station, a Canadian Tire gas bar, was selling gas at 86.6 cents per litre. The low price caught the eye of many motorists — a large line-up soon formed, forcing an attendant to head outside and direct traffic.

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According to senior petroleum analyst Dan McTeague of GasBuddy.com, this marks the cheapest gas in the province as of late Tuesday afternoon.

McTeague said it appears to be a localized example of competition between gas stations rather than a province-wide trend.

McTeague suggested that stations selling fuel for under 96 cents per litre right now are actually losing money — making it a temporary deal.

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That doesn’t make it any less worthwhile, however.

“St. Thomas appears to be the place to be if you want to save a few bucks,” McTeague said. “In fact, on a large purchase, six to ten bucks is nothing to sneeze at.”

In comparison, the average price for a litre of gas in the London area on Tuesday was 105.4. Only one gas bar in the city was selling fuel for under 100 — the west London Costco at 99.9.