Lower Fuel Prices Save Fleets Money

Gasoline prices have been decreasing since July 2014, and fleets have been seeing savings in fuel costs.

The City of Corpus Christi, Texas, uses about 1.65 million gallons of gasoline a year, costing about $5.1 million, KRISTV.com reported. In the last three months, the cost of unleaded gasoline went down by nearly 17%, saving the city $200,000. Each department can decide what to do with the leftover fuel budget.

The City of Augusta, Ga., uses 800,000 gallons of fuel per year for its fleet. The city anticipated spending $3.06 per gallon for gasoline for a total of $2.8 million, but gas is now at $1.99 per gallon, WJBF.com reported. This results in savings of more than $100,000 per month in fuel costs, which will be placed into savings accounts.

The City of Jacksonville, Fla., has a fuel budget of $21.2 million, which is $2 million less than last year’s budget, Karim Kurji, chief of fleet management, told News4Jax. Any savings in fuel expenditures could be used for other city services.

The City of Madison, Wis., reduced its fuel budget by $200,000 from the original $3.63 million estimated during the summer, according to the Wisconsin State Journal. Fleet drivers use 1.1 million gallons of gasoline and diesel, and the city’s fleet superintendent said the city may be able to save $300,000 additional dollars on its fuel budget.

In Virginia, Roanoke County is reducing fuel costs on its gasoline-fueled vehicles, but since diesel prices haven’t fallen as much, and its diesel fleet is large, the fleet hasn't realize as much savings, WDBJ7 reported. The City of Vinton has saved $22,000 in gasoline and $10,000 in diesel in just half a year. The City of Roanoke has a fixed-price contract with a supplier, which helps provide budget stability.