Drivers in the Lower Mainland may have noticed that gasoline prices have dropped in recent days.

Many reported seeing a reading of 158.9 at a gas station in East Vancouver on Friday, and according to GasBuddy, the reading at a gas station in Richmond dropped to 157.9 on Saturday.

GasBuddy shows that the price was around 205.2 this time last year.

A report released this month by the CD Howe Institute suggests that falling prices are related to the completion of the Trans Mountain Pipeline (TMX) in May.

According to the report, supplies are increasingly being shifted from rail to pipelines as this is the more cost-effective alternative.

The institute says that prior to the completion of the TMX, inadequate pipeline capacity cost the average British Columbia household more than $1,000 per year.

“Gasoline consumption in British Columbia is generally about 1,100 litres per capita per year, and diesel consumption is about 900 litres per capita per year. Based on this, a rough calculation suggests that inadequate pipeline capacity costs the British Columbia economy an average of about $500 per person per year. Since the average British Columbia household consists of 2.4 people, the average household cost would be nearly $1,200 per household per year,” the report said.

“This is a notable burden, especially given Canada’s recent inflation problems.”