SF gas prices average $3.12 per gallon

Gas prices in cities across the Bay Area and California are on the rise, according to a AAA spokesman.

On Tuesday, California drivers paid on average of $2.96 for a gallon of unleaded regular gas. That’s up 3 cents from a month ago, AAA Northern California spokesman John Moreno said.

In the Bay Area, drivers are paying on average $3.02 per gallon, up 3 cents from $2.99 the previous month.

In Oakland and Vallejo, gas prices rose 3 cents and in San Jose prices rose by 4 cents, according to Moreno.

San Francisco had the highest gas prices in the Bay Area, and second-highest in the state, at $3.12 per gallon.

Moreno said in a statement:

“Californians are still paying the highest prices in the nation except for Hawaii, with most stations hovering around $3 a gallon.”

According to Moreno, travel demand is driving the increase in prices.

Moreno also said that West Coast refineries are ramping up production in anticipation of the Aug. 21 eclipse, which will draw more than 1 million sky-watchers to Oregon, Idaho and Wyoming.