Question: can a petrol station be unattended?

[chazzy2501]

I'm having a debate with my tech. He claims that the new ASDA petrol station is fully automated and has no attendant. I argue that someone must be there to ensure safety like fire or a child using the machine etc.

 

Does anyone know the rules?

[noelmm]

The local Asda by me also has a fully automated petrol station, no member of staff at all.

[Dos_Box]

My local Asda is fully automated too. It's a lot less faff!

[Norphy]

All Asda petrol stations that I've seen are unattended, they're all completely pay at pump with no cashiers. You see a lot of petrol stations like that in France as well, especially in rural areas.

 

I'm sure there must be someone in the supermarket who has the ability/authority to turn the pumps off and get rid of problematic customers but by and large they're unattended.

[hardtailstar]

My local tescos used to be automated until they realised that there was a way to avoid paying...

[network41]

Unattended stations have been on the go for ages in mainland Europe , was in France around 10 years ago and it was a common site. We have unattended Asda staions here and have so very some time. And Sainsburys

[Duranis]

The idea of the "general public" not getting adult supervision while using petrol pumps fills me with a special kind of dread....

[mikeprice]

ASDA one here has zero staff

 

if there is a problem you press a buzzer (or actually - to be pedantic -a button connected to a buzzer) and someone in the shop will talk to you and maybe come over

 

so not totally unattended - just attended at a distance

[mavhc]

They're monitored by CCTV, probably in the Supermarket next door.

 

Not paying only works if they can't read your numberplate

[mikeprice]

I don't use them very often - but I seem to remember that you have to put your card in before getting fuel??

 

or am I dreaming??

[Boredguy]

I don't use them very often - but I seem to remember that you have to put your card in before getting fuel??

 

or am I dreaming??

 

Yes you are not dreaming (yet) and you need to have around £90-£100 of available credit for some of them before a transaction can proceed to ensure there is enough to cover the cost of a potential bilking.

[hardtailstar]

They're monitored by CCTV, probably in the Supermarket next door.

 

Not paying only works if they can't read your numberplate

 

Not from experience but even if the numberplate was read people could still get away with it.

 

I don't use them very often - but I seem to remember that you have to put your card in before getting fuel??

 

or am I dreaming??

 

Yeah you do have to do that.

[Ketlane]

Used one in a village in Scotland recently. Card only. Not even an unattended kiosk or anything. Worked fine.

[elsiegee40]

I don't use them very often - but I seem to remember that you have to put your card in before getting fuel??

 

or am I dreaming??

 

That’s correct. The pump doesn’t dispense until you have put your card in and it preauthorises up to £99. It then dispenses and charges you for the amount you have taken. No risk of people driving off without paying.

[MatthewL]

ASDA ones defiantly have no one there, had to use the phone once as had an issue and someone come over, in the little hut that's on site is the computer and CCTV running it all and that is it. I had an issue with getting a receipt and needed one for work before so he did a print out in there.

 

There is a Gulf that I travel past just literally plonked in the middle of a car park, no one around, again a little hut where I guess everything is controlled from.

[mikeprice]

I do wonder about these places if there is an accidental but quite large fuel spillage

 

OK if it is an ASDA and there is someone at a store that can run over and mop it up somehow

 

if the nearest operative is remote via a camera I would worry about teh safety

[JimDijkstra86NL]

In the Netherlands there are many brands doing just that.

A mandatory for fire equipment should be a law in my opinion...theft will follow before camera's.

 

 

Jim

[Stevecee]

Hi

 

I'm in Northern Ireland and use an unattended petrol station regularly - its monitored by CCTV but I've never seen anyone there. It's not attached to a supermarket or any nearby company and unsurprisingly it's also the cheapest in the area!

 

Steve

[Davit2005]

Our ASDA has the pay booths, it was a real choke point during the media created panic recently seen. I'm not sure why they designed it that way, they have jus in the last 2 years moved the petrol station to a different location too. Why they did not change to pay at pump at that point I don't know but then again the plot is so small it would of been pay at pump only. Our Tesco (about 1.5M from the ASDA) has been pay at pump option for years. But then again I have a feeling that ASDA is been run into the ground here.