In Hawaiian “Maui No Kai Oi” means Maui is No. 1 or “the best.” But these days the popular saying is being used more in relation to the island’s gas prices than its breathtaking views from sugary white sand beaches.
Living in paradise comes with a price and my family members (some of who live on the Valley Isle) can tell you that traveling around the Hawaiian Island of Maui is costing them a fortune. According to AAA, Maui is now home to the most expensive gas prices in the nation.
A gallon of regular unleaded there has hit the $4 mark. A few gas stations in remote parts of California have exceeded $4, but according to AAA’s Daily Fuel Gauge Report, the highest prices in the country reside on Maui where all of the island’s stations are charging $4 plus for a gallon of regular gas. In fact, in the isolated coastal town of Hana, the price for a gallon of regular fuel is nearing $4.50.
That means each time my cousin goes to fill his SUV he is spending more than $100 to do so. Filling up my aunt’s Toyota minivan is costing her nearly $300 a week. If prices remain at or near $4 per gallon she is looking to spend roughly $10,000 in gas for the remainder of the year.
If you think that’s bad, consider the dozens of limousine taxis that chauffeur wealthy visitors around the island. I can’t image that they can fill their tanks for less than $100 with gas prices the way they are. I also can’t imagine the mayhem that would have broke out on the island if a situation similar to the one that occurred recently in Wilmington, North Carolina took place on Hawaiian soil.
Last week traffic was backed up for miles and police had to be called in to control massive crowds after a Wilmington gas station accidentally set the pump price at 35 cents a gallon.
According to local newspapers, thousands of drivers flooded a BP station to fill up on the cheap gas and the owner was clueless about the entire situation until police arrived.
Station managers say the price for premium gasoline was supposed to be listed as $3.35 a gallon, but an error in the system allowed customers to get the gas for just 35 cents. Even more shocking to employees is that motorists paid the cheaper price all day without saying a word. It wasn’t until vehicles started lining up around the block and police were called in that station employees recognized the mistake.
Why don’t “mistakes” like that happen near my home?
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