It was nice while it lasted.

After dipping below a dollar per litre earlier this year, gas prices in Vancouver are now the highest in North America.

Fuel costs tipped the scales at more than $1.30 per litre Tuesday morning, nearly 16 cents per litre higher than Quebec City, the second-most expensive Canadian city for gas, according to GasBuddy.com.

That’s a jump of more than 10 cents per litre since Friday, and more than 30 cents since December.

Since then, a shortage of gasoline coupled with higher demand has contributed to the spike.

Last month, an Exxon Mobile oil refinery in California exploded, while Shell’s Puget Sound refinery in Washington State went down for maintenance.

Experts say brutal winter weather has also increased demand for gasoline in eastern Canada and the U.S.

CTV News spoke with some Vancouver drivers who say they’re exhausted from the up-and-down costs.

“We pay the most for gas, we pay the most for houses, we pay the most taxes. What’s up?” asked Jeremy Wilson. “I pity the people in the Mercedes and the Beamers, how can they afford it?”

Josh Sharber, who uses his truck for work, said it now costs him around $130 to fill up his tank.

“I basically work two days a week just to keep my truck running,” he said. “It’s pretty much all you can do. No gas, can’t get to work.”

Elsewhere in the Lower Mainland Tuesday, gas prices in Abbotsford topped $1.19 per litre, while Chilliwack, where prices are traditionally low, hovered around $1.21 per litre.

That’s still higher than other major North American cities, including Toronto ($1.07 per litre), Los Angeles ($0.93 USD per litre) and Edmonton ($0.91 per litre).