Servo debate: the final word

Andrew Mathieson
An industry boss has offered the final word on debate raging in Geelong over whether motorists should move after filling up at petrol pumps to make way for waiting drivers.
APCO boss Peter Anderson advised drivers to leave their cars at the bowser until they had paid so service stations could guard against theft.
Writers have argued for the past month in the Independent’s Buckets and Bouquets about whether motorists had a social obligation to vacate pumps before paying so waiting drivers could move in to fill their tanks.
Buckets and Bouquets contributor “Marie”, of Jan Juc, started the debate when she lambasted a driver who she described as selfish for failing to move.
Some readers agreed in subsequent contributions to Buckets and Bouquets but Marie drew a spiteful response from the majority. Some said moving away from pumps before paying was tantamount to stealing. Others said it confused cashiers.
“Why can’t the drivers in line simply wait a bit longer – it would probably be less inconvenient than having to move away from the pump for impatient drivers,” Highton’s Under The Pump wrote.
Apco boss Peter Anderson said cars moving away from the pump before payment created headaches for service stations.
“There’s always the problem of which pump they were on or having petrol pumped by the next person,” he said.
“Sometimes the pumps can’t get re-started depending on the machine and you can’t click on the next sale anyway until it’s been paid for.”
Mr Anderson said APCO had noted increasing impatience among drivers waiting for vacant pumps.
Large service stations that encouraged customers to “wander around the shop or go to the toilet” after filling up could lead to longer delays and more frustration, he said.
“It’s really horses for courses. If you want to just pay for fuel, you should leave your car at the bowser,” he said.
“Just be conscious when people are sitting behind you.”