The controlled price for gas fell at midnight, and tonight, the pump price for premium gas is the lowest it’s been in ten years. But don’t get too used to it; in fact, if you use premium gasoline – buy it tonight. That is because at midnight the price for a gallon of premium gasoline is expected to increase. That is the bad news but the good news is that it isn’t expected to increase by more than it fell by last night – which means it should still end up being cheaper than it was on Monday – before it took a steep fall. The price of a gallon of premium gas plummeted by $1.31 – from $6.16 a gallon to $4.85. Regular gas dropped $1.19 - from $5.74 to $4.55.

That’s less than five dollars a gallon – gas prices haven’t been this low since March of 1998. We will give you the breakdown shortly but first – we were at gas stations this morning to the get the reaction of drivers to the news that a gallon of gas had dipped below the $5.

Driver #1,
“Fill it up! Fill it up. Fill it up, you couldn’t do that a couple months ago.”

And that’s what drivers at gas stations across the city were doing today, filling up on gas which for the first time in ten years dropped below $5 a gallon.”

Driver #2,
“I love it, I love it. More taxi I will get, more money I will make – everything I make. I am taxi driver the fullest. The taxi fare will stay the same $5.”

Keith Swift,
Will this lower price change your driving habit, will you be driving around more?

Driver #2,
“Yes I will be able to spend more time paying bills, paying ‘nuff things so I like it; love it.”

Zebedee Pitterson, Filling Up
“That’s very good. You don’t find things like that happening in quite a while. I guess how long that, that must have been from in the 80s the gas price has been that. I don’t know but it is surprising.”

Driver #3,
“I feel pretty good mein because I have an 8 cylinder right here so I feel good. It makes life easier for me and everybody else.”

Keith Swift,
When last did you remember paying less than $5 for a gallon of gas?

Driver #3,
“Way before I even owned my first vehicle.”

Rowland Parks, Filling Up
“I just found it out a few minutes ago when I pulled up to get some gas. I bought $20 gas and I saw the thing going up to like 4 gallons and I said gas went down, good.”

Driver #4,
“My reaction is that it is good for the drivers of Belize and especially taxi drivers. We could negotiate our prices in comparison to the general public, to give them a better deal. If you see right now I am on my way to the Belize Zoo so I can put in some gas right now and be comfortable going there and coming back.”

Driver #5,
“Everybody feels good about the decrease, we just hope it stays that way and decrease instead of increase.”

Keith Swift,
Are you happy?

Driver #5,
“Well of course I am happy, you feel good. You are not happy 100% but it helps you in some way.”

Keith Swift,
Are you surprised that it continues to decrease?

Driver #6,
“Well I know because due to the flat tax that government puts on to it. With the previous government we didn’t have that. Now we have this and so it is good for we.”

In fact it is so good that these drivers say they will be on the road more often.

Keith Swift,
Will this change your driving habits in that will you be driving more and you could circle more?

Driver #6,
“Well of course it makes you move about more; you drive more because you have more gas to burn.”

Driver #3,
“Oh yes I will and enjoying it much more too. Now I think the driving experience will be a pleasure because you don’t have to worry about the cost of it. So you could take your long trips and chill out and relax.”

Keith Swift,
Will you change your driving habits?

Driver #5,
“I don’t think so, I think we will drive more definitely.”

Keith Swift,
The Prime Minister warned against that, saying that you shouldn’t change your driving habit because the price probably will increase again.

Driver #5,
“Well maybe in the future it will go up but for now we have to enjoy what we have now.”

Keith Swift,
You’re enjoying this?

Driver #1,
“Oh yes before I used to buy $20 or $25 but now I can full it up.”

And while gas is cheaper for now – for some it is not enough.

Driver #1,
“We should have had this price reduced a long time. Why is it, we have oil in our country; we have everything.”

Driver #7,
“I would like to ask the Prime Minister of Belize if it is only gas we will eat and if food can’t go down and different thing at the store. Business people and everybody are complaining that everything stays the same price and if only gas we could eat; that’s all I need to ask the big man.”

Keith Swift,
So you’re not happy that the gas went down?

Driver #7,
“Yes gas gaan down but that only concerns the vehicle. What happened to the food in the stores and thing; nothing gaan down in the store or nothing like that so we need to know what is going because what happened to other people who don’t own vehicles. Other people are feeling a pinch in the country too. Only the vehicle people are happy right now; other people who don’t own vehicles are still in the same position right now check.”

Driver #1,
“Everything is supposed to go down now; rice, flour, beans, and vegetables and chicken – chicken is supposed to go down.”

As we mentioned at the top of the story, these are the lowest gas prices since March of 1998. Back then a gallon of premium gallon of gas was selling for $4.82 and government’s tax take was $2.75. Government’s take today on a gallon of premium gas is only $1.70. For regular gas – around March of 1998 it was selling for $4.72 a gallon. Government’s take in 1998 for regular gas was $2.77. day it is only $1.50.

And if you are wondering about diesel and kerosene – there is no decrease yet. We say yet because the tanker carrying diesel will land in the country within the next day and that is when the price will be calculated. It is however expected to decrease. Along with the decrease in diesel and kerosene – premium gas is also expected to increase slightly.