As gasoline prices rise, sites tracking fuel prices in hundreds of cities receive millions of visitors throughout the year. Naturally, at times the prices go down, the number of visitors drop as well. These sites also compare the average national price of gas over the years and monitor prices of alternative fuels. Dan Gilligan, president of Petroleum Marketers Association of America, said the system is a good idea but warned consumers to remember that if they drive more than 10 miles to save a nickel, they are losing money. He also said there"s no guarantee the price will be the same when they arrive: "Many retailers are getting price increases twice a day. You may have a price increase within six hours."
GasBuddy Organization Incorporated claims to monitor 900,000 stations with several hundred thousand registered volunteers while GasPriceWatch.com says it tracks 170,000 stations. Relying on volunteers for price information obviously sometimes results in false reports and they are taken down. Supermarkets and stores tend to offer the cheapest prices. A cell phone provider, Mobio Networks, launched a free service this week telling its customers the cheapest gasoline prices in their area.