Metro Vancouver gas prices fall below $2 a litre

Gas prices fell below $2 a litre at many Metro Vancouver stations Friday, offering some relief to drivers ahead of summer road trips. One Chevron station in Surrey was selling regular gasoline for 194.9 cents a litre.

Dan McTeague, president of Canadians for Affordable Energy, attributed the drop to lower wholesale gasoline prices, which also reduced pump prices in several provinces. The national average was about $1.60 a litre Friday morning.

McTeague said prices could ease modestly into the weekend, but he did not expect major movement through the following Wednesday unless markets changed dramatically. He noted Metro Vancouver prices remain above the roughly $1.77 a litre seen at the same time last year.

He said negotiations on an interim agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz have encouraged cautious optimism among traders, though the situation remains volatile.