After years of expecting higher gas prices in Quebec, more and more Ottawa drivers are realizing savings of up to six cents a litre can be had these days in Gatineau.

"Since May, more people are coming from Ontario," said Ralph Kandalaft, manager of the Quickie Ultramar on Boulevard Saint-Raymond. "They tell me they're coming because the gas is cheaper here."

Ralph Kandalaft, manager of the Quickie Ultramar gas station in Gatineau, says he estimates the number of Ontario drivers filling up at his station is up by a third since May 2016. (Giacomo Panico/CBC) On Wednesday morning, Kandalaft's station was selling gas for 93.9 cents per litre. At the same time most stations in downtown Ottawa were selling gas at 99.9 cents per litre, according to the website gasbuddy.com.

'Cut-throat margins'

Kandalaft estimates his station has seen a 30 per cent increase of Ottawa motorists since May.

A similar observation comes from Olivier Lefebvre​-Morin, a cashier at the Shell station on rue Montcalm.

"I've noticed a huge increase of customers from Ontario," said Lefebvre-Morin. "They're asking why it's cheaper on the Quebec side, instead of the Ontario side like it was for a few years. I don't know the answer."

A common belief is prices are lower now in Gatineau thanks to the Quebec government's move in April 2015 to cut the provincial gas tax rate by $0.08 for stations located within 5 kilometres of the Ontario border.

However, another reason is more likely according to Dan McTeague, a senior analyst for gasbuddy.com.

"It really has a lot more to do with the fact that on the Quebec side there is, what I call, cut-throat margins," said McTeague. "Retailers are only taking about two cents a litre, whereas on the Ontario side the more normal retail margin is about nine cents a litre."

So why the low margins in Gatineau?

"It's likely that one or two players there are making money selling items other than gasoline, such as potato chips or tires," said McTeague.