Taxi Driver Online

Concerns petrol retailers in Cheltenham not passing on full 2p saving


MOTORISTS in Cheltenham have raised concerns that they are not feeling the benefit of cuts to the price of petrol.

The average fuel price last month fell by 2p per litre and the wholesale price fell by double the amount.

But the Automobile Association says the lowering of prices varied depending on the part of the UK and that consumers faced a postcode lottery at the pumps.

While some supermarkets peg their rates to wholesale prices, others do not – meaning motorists do not make any savings while the retailer takes a fatter margin of the profit.

At petrol stations in Cheltenham prices have fallen since the Echo last conducted a survey – but in some cases not by the full 2p.

Di Mitten, secretary of the town's branch of the Hackney Carriage Association, said: "These ups and downs in petrol prices have a big impact on taxi drivers as our guys are having to fill up a lot in order to do their work.

"If we are not getting the full reduction in petrol prices that we should be, then we will feel the cost of that."

Earlier this year, cabbies in Cheltenham said they feared they might have to give up their jobs if petrol prices continued to soar.

In February unleaded petrol at Tesco's petrol station in Colletts Drive was priced at 136.9p per litre. That has now fallen by 1p to 135.9p with diesel dropping from 143.9p per litre to 140.9p.

At Shell, in Princess Elizabeth Way, unleaded petrol and diesel have both fallen by a penny from 136.9p to 135.9p and 143.9p to 142.9p respectively.

There has been a bigger drop at the Texaco petrol station, in Gloucester Road, with unleaded petrol down by the full 2p from 139.9p to 137.9p and diesel down 3p from 145.9p to 142.9p.

Edmund King, AA president, said the way retailers were pricing petrol had a significant impact on families' spending.

He said: "Unlike in the US, drivers in the UK and Europe have been left high and dry by the lack of transparency.

"This has denied them the ability to spot short-term pump price spikes and prepare their budgets and start planning for the hit.

"It has also allowed retailers to decide when and where savings for this essential part of family spending are passed on."


Read more: http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/ ... z2Pu2Q52pm

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
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Asda 134.7 and 139.7 here
Shell and Esso 136.9 and 142.9