ROMULUS, Mich. – Some residents near Romulus are raising concerns about the price of regular unleaded at a BP gas station near Detroit Metro Airport, where the posted cash price reached $5.64 per gallon.
Several people who live nearby said the price at the station — located at 9201 Middlebelt Road near Wick Road — stood out as unusually high compared with other stations in the area and the statewide average.
“It’s just wrong,” said one man who asked to be identified only as “B.”
He said he first noticed the station’s price while driving by and couldn’t believe what he saw.
“I think it’s gouging, because you can drive maybe two miles down the road and get it for $2 cheaper,” he said.
A check of other gas stations in the immediate area showed lower prices for regular unleaded (cash price):
- BP (Middlebelt Road): $5.64
- Mobil (nearby): $4.49
- Shell (nearby): $4.49
That puts the BP station at $1.15 more per gallon than nearby competitors.
The price also comes on a day when the average gas price in Michigan was $3.87 per gallon for regular unleaded, according to figures cited in the report.
At the station, one woman fueling up said the high prices hit especially hard right now.
“In this economy, I’m unemployed. It’s hard out here,” she said. “Everybody is living paycheck to paycheck.”
The woman purchased $30 worth of gasoline. That only yielded about five gallons at the posted price.
The Michigan Department of Attorney General defines price gouging under the Michigan Consumer Protection Act as charging a price that is “grossly in excess of the price at which similar property or services are sold.”
However, the office added in a statement that gas price fluctuations tied to the Iran war “do not, by themselves, establish grossly excessive pricing under the statute.”
The gas station’s owner has not yet responded to questions about the pricing. A manager at the BP said the pricing was out of his control and said he would pass along Local 4’s contact information to the owner.
The controversy is not new for that location. In December 2023, the Michigan Attorney General launched an investigation into the same station following accusations of price gouging. At the time, the owner maintained it was not gouging.
Still, residents like “B” want officials to take another look.
“Yes, I would like someone to take a look at it,” he said.
The Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Team has received six complaints statewide related to gas price gouging since the Iran war.
For more information, the Attorney General’s office has a consumer alert addressing common questions about increased gas prices.
To report suspected price gouging or other unlawful practices, consumers can click here to file a complaint.