Petrol-station runaways cost industry $1m a year

Motorists driving away from petrol stations without paying are costing the industry upwards of $1 million a year.

Some petrol companies are now considering compulsory prepayment to stop fuel theft as the problem gets worse.

Shell spokesman Steve Bartholmeusz said yesterday that the company was aware of 1407 instances of cars driving off without paying at its 300 service stations last year.

Mobil public affairs manager Peter Thornbury said such theft was costing the company "hundreds of thousands of dollars" a year.

Gull retail sales and operations manager Ulrik Olsen said the company was losing upwards of $200,000 a year to thieves at its 31 stations around the North Island.

"It's becoming more organised," he said. "It's no longer just random people doing it because they don't have any money - it's something organised criminals are doing on a regular basis.

"Some areas are worse affected than others, but you can have a station that's losing upwards of $600 a week, easily."

South and West Auckland stations in particular were being targeted, he said

"It really depends on the staff and how vigilant they are. You can easily become a target in that particular area," Mr Olsen said.

"Criminals talk, so in each area I'm sure there's one station they all go to."

Mr Thornbury said prepayment was an option at Mobil service stations but the company would not be introducing a widespread prepay ruling because it treated each station individually.

"In some stations it is the only option as a staff precaution - stations are sometimes targeted by robbers and we find the best ways of deterring them is through prepay."

Mr Bartholmeusz said drive-offs were a problem for Shell "but the best precaution is to offer a forecourt attendant to attend to the customer immediately." Mr Olsen said Gull had introduced a range of measures to deter thieves, but the problem was becoming more difficult.

Not only were thieves using false number plates, often the same plate was reappearing on a variety of cars.

Prepayment was an option the company was enforcing during evenings.

"It's not an avenue we want to go down because it's a hassle - it scares people away - but we could be forced into doing it more often.

"Unfortunately 1 per cent of the population ruin it for others."

AA director George Fairbairn said consumers would be concerned if the move towards prepay became a pattern.

"Are we moving to a totally self-service arrangement where you've got to help yourself and do it all yourself?" he said.

Mr Fairbairn said if that was the case the public would be looking for a reduction in costs. "In the United States they have two lanes - one for self-service and one attendant service, and the attendant service is a higher price.

- NZPA