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VIDEO: Hinesville Chevron owner rolls back prices as a way to give back on Fourth of July

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A gas station in Hinesville rolled back gas prices to $2.09 per gallon (credit/ debit) on the Fourth of July, causing a traffic jam as folks lined up to fill their cars.

Ravi Patel, who runs the Chevron gas station in the 100 block of East General Screven Way, said they set their gas prices to $1.99 per gallon (cash) in order to give something back to the community.

“This is what we need to do to give back to the community,” he said.

He said fuel tankers came in the day prior to top off all the tanks, and in a matter of hours, roughly 5,000 gallons were sold.

“The way the world is right now, everything is going crazy,” Patel said, acknowledging that he would lose money during the event.

He said he thought about how he could give back to the community, and lowering the price of gas was the first thing that popped into his head.

“It makes me feel good, and I can sleep better at night,” he said.

Robin and Emanuel Holmes called the event a blessing.

The line of cars was more than a mile long as grateful motorists took advantage of the lower fuel prices.

Victoria Smith said she had been traveling the night before and was happily clapping that her $95 gas fill would be cut in half due to the generosity of the station owners. The Hinesville native travels frequently to Atlanta and was almost out of gas when she pulled into the station.

“This is a powerful movement,” Smith said. “Everybody should follow this movement, because it is deeper than just getting around. People are having hard times.”

It is estimated the gas station lost $12,000 in profit.

low gas prices
An ecstatic Victoria Smith celebrates filling up her new truck with gas at $2 per gallon. She said what would normally cost her roughly $95 to fill cost half that amount. People lined up for miles for the special gas prices at the Chevron station on East General Screven Way on Monday, July 4. Photo by Lewis Levine