Fight fuel prices with buses, trains - or sedate driving

The price of petrol is starting to make Aucklanders think twice before jumping in the car to go to the shops.

In the central business district yesterday, visitors and workers said they were thinking more about using public transport or their feet since the petrol price jumped 6c a litre this week to $1.68 for 91 octane and $1.73 for 95 unleaded.

Two Pukekohe mothers, Kirsten Ruiterman and Michelle Mullin, chose to travel into town with their children on the train - though both have cars at home.

"The train has become an attractive option," said Mrs Mullin.

Her friend Mrs Ruiterman was concerned that the family petrol bill was about $1000 a month but most of the trips were essential for work.

An incentive to look at ways to trim the fuel bill came yesterday with the latest Automobile Association fuel-use results for the amount of fuel cars need when travelling on a mix of urban streets and motorway

AA technical advice manager Jack Biddle said a car under 1300cc used 6.78 litres per 100km, a 1301cc to 1600cc car used 7.25 litres, a car 1601cc to 2000cc used 8.45 litres and a car over 2000cc used 10.87 litres.

But motoring agencies said fuel use was affected by many factors including traffic conditions, style of driving and trip length.

An AA test in a modern car last year found that Aucklanders stuck in traffic used 24.4 litres of petrol for every 100km travelled - about four times more than in free-flowing traffic.

The difference congestion made in fuel use was highlighted by an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority audit of the Waitakere City Council's car fleet.

That survey showed that under vehicles under 1600cc used between 4.8 and 5.3 litres per 100km in highway driving and between 5.6 to 9 litres per 100km in city driving.

The Motor Trade Association said short trips used more fuel.

It suggested people to plan their journey so that errands were done in one trip rather than in several shorter ones.

Nearly two out of 10 of Aucklanders' trips to work are less than 2km - walking distance.

Research commissioned by the conservation authority shows driving style has the single biggest effect on fuel consumption.

Of all fuel saving measures, it says, less aggressive driving can improve fuel economy by up to 30 per cent.

Motorists who would benefit most from frugal driving were men between 25 and 54.

They were twice as likely as women to clock up more than 20,000km a year, according to the latest Ministry of Transport household travel survey.

Oilman says sorry - but outlook's grim

Oil company chief Nick Hannan has issued a plea for understanding, but can offer little hope to motorists battered by relentless petrol and diesel price rises.

"We really feel for the motorist," Caltex NZ's country chairman told the Weekend Herald in a rare interview.

"We drive cars as well ... but when I look at the futures market for fuel for the next six to nine months, I'm afraid the market is not seeing any relief."

But Mr Hannan does not subscribe to fear that the world is close to a so-called "peak" in which the global potential to extract extra oil levels off and becomes permanently outpaced by growth in demand.

"There is an enormous amount of oil out there to find," he said, noting that Caltex's United States parent company, Chevron, had budgeted almost US$15 billion ($24 billion) this year for drilling and exploration.

New Zealand would still have access to enough fuel even if supplies dried up from Iran, producer of 5 per cent of the world's oil, although this would add even more price pressure to that being imposed by the voracious economies of China and India.

Mr Hannan insisted pricing in New Zealand remained "extremely competitive", despite recent record increases, reflected in a paltry 4 per cent return last year of about $30 million on Caltex's investment in this country.
- By Mathew Dearnaley