The line was busy but quick Thursday afternoon at the Arco on Mission Street, as a procession of drivers who had done their homework hit the pumps.
They had checked GasBuddy. They had driven out of their way. Some had timed their arrival to beat a price hike. All were chasing the same thing: a gallon of regular for less than $5, a psychological threshold in a city with some of the country’s highest fuel prices.
“I actually came completely out of my way to come to this station,” said Michael Campos, 55, who normally fuels up at an Arco near his home in the Outer Richmond. He typically rides his Yamaha Ténéré 700 motorcycle to stretch his fuel budget — at roughly 60 to 70 miles per gallon, it takes him “like, forever” to get through $15, he said.
With prices fluctuating constantly, among the cheapest stations in San Francisco this week were Arco locations at 2198 Carroll Ave. in the Silver Terrace neighborhood and 1798 Mission St. in the Mission. The Carroll Avenue location had advertised $4.95 per gallon Thursday morning but bumped the price to $5.05 by midday. Still, by San Francisco standards, that’s a deal. The Mission Street location was selling a gallon for $4.97. At what is perhaps the city’s most expensive stations, a gallon was going for $6.60 on Thursday, so someone buying 10 could save more than $16…