Two weeks after the shutdown of the Colonial Pipeline and heading into what could be a busy weekend, an estimated 38% of metro Atlanta service stations were still without fuel Friday morning.
But that was slightly better than Thursday afternoon, when about 41% of area gas stations were dry, according to the crowdsourcing app GasBuddy.
“It is not dropping at double-digits levels but the numbers are definitely trending down,” said Allison Mac, a GasBuddy analyst.
Mac added that about 30% of gas stations statewide are without gas.
Alpharetta-based Colonial Pipeline shut down its distribution network on May 7 after a cyberattack that U.S. officials believe was carried out from Russia. It restarted the pipeline May 12, warning it would take “several days” to return deliveries to normal.
The pipeline supplies about 45% of the East Coast’s gas, diesel and jet fuel. Several news outlets reported this week that Colonial paid a $4.4 million ransom to resume control of its computer systems.
Montrae Waiters, a spokeswoman at AAA, said Friday’s average price for a gallon of gas was $2.94 statewide, down 1 cent from Thursday and 4 cents less than it was a week ago. Prices initially rose sharply after the shutdown.
In metro Atlanta, the gas price average was $2.99 a gallon, 1 cent less than yesterday and 6 cents less than a week ago.
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