Where to Find Gas in Austin: Updates about Gasoline ‘Shortage’

Although there’s not a technical gasoline shortage, so many people are buying gas at once in Austin that some people are reporting problems finding gas stations that don’t have super long lines or that have gas availability. This could be a problem for people who are planning to travel for Labor Day. In general, just a bit of searching can help you find places nearby that have gasoline.

These disruptions should be over in about a week or two, DallasNews.com reported, once refineries that are shut down resume operations.

Reports from the Area

Redditor autobahn commented on Thursday night: “I went to 8 stations today, all out, on the 9th I waited in a 20 minute line.”

And another Redditor, blind512, posted on Friday: “Went to HEB after work bc I was on fumes. Waited in line for 2 *** hours…They were running out of gas and the pumps were going extremely slow…..I got a quarter tank and got *** out…”

Another Redditor posted: “I walked to my local HEB last night at 9pm, there are two gas stations right next to it and easily 400 cars waiting in about 6 different lines branching off as far as the eye could see.”

Several have commented that HEB locations tend to be especially busy, so it might be better to try other lesser-known locations instead, or cities slightly outside of Austin if you can drive that far.

Meanwhile, some places are really increasing their prices. On Reddit, it was reported that a Murphy’s location was charging $4.61 for regular on Friday afternoon:

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Remember  — just because a station runs out of gas doesn’t mean it will be out of gas all weekend. You can always check back with the gas station later to see if a truck has stopped by to refuel their supplies.

Except maybe Buc-ee’s.

Use Gas Buddy Online or Via Mobile App

GasBuddyGasBuddy in Austin

Gas Buddy is a gasoline availability tracker that works from crowdsourcing reports from other users, and it’s very popular right now. If you visit a station and find that it has fuel or it doesn’t have fuel, mark that online or in the app. You can use Gas Buddy online to track fuel availability here. It has mobile apps here, but to access gas availability via the mobile app, you’ll need to go to the amenities tab, scroll over, and choose “has fuel.”

Gas Buddy is a great app as long as people keep updating it with the information they find. People are marking stations as “no fuel,” “has fuel,” “no power,” or “unknown.” This can give you real-time details about gasoline status as you need it. Just remember: if you’re using the map online, you won’t see the green/red/gray/black marks until you’ve zoomed in closer to the location where you’re looking. If you use the app, do everyone a favor and update it with the results you’ve found too.

Note: Some people have contacted Heavy to share that GasBuddy isn’t always updating fast enough for them. If you’re really low on gas, you might call the gas station that GasBuddy shows has availability first, to make sure the information is up-to-date.

Remember as you’re out looking for gas: we don’t have a true gas shortage in terms of supply running out. This is simply a disruption as demand increases before the fuel is refilled. Don’t go into a panic and buy fuel you don’t need, leaving people who really need fuel in a potential bind. Learn more about what’s happening in Heavy’s story below:

Read More From Heavy

Is There Really a Gas Shortage?