[Venkatesh]

Petrol pump in Pune goes Atmanirbhar – Customers can refuel without help.

Petrol pump in Pune has become the first self reliant petrol pump in Maharashtra. Vehicle owners need not wait for an attendant at this petrol pump which is located outside the Regional Transport Office in Pune. This initiative has been started so as to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, allowing vehicle owners to fill the fuel tanks of their cars and bikes on their own.

The staff accepts payment via cash, card or digital payments and the limit is set to a minimum of Rs.30 and a maximum of Rs.400 for two wheelers.

https://youtu.be/y4DAg-W06L8

https://www.rushlane.com/petrol-pump...-12365392.html

[nagr22]

Originally Posted by Venkatesh

Petrol pump in Pune goes Atmanirbhar – Customers can refuel without help.

Petrol pump in Pune has become the first self reliant petrol pump in Maharashtra. Vehicle owners need not wait for an attendant at this petrol pump which is located outside the Regional Transport Office in Pune. This initiative has been started so as to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, allowing vehicle owners to fill the fuel tanks of their cars and bikes on their own.

I think this method actually increases the chances of catching the disease! I would not prefer touching the buttons which would have been used by thousands of other customers. This is just another example of a flawed idea which got implemented without proper vetting.

[Aditya]

Atmanirbhar fuel pump : self-fueling bunk started in Pune - Posts moved to a new thread.

[saisailendra]

Keeping the mentioned reason of curbing the pandemic aside, I think this is a boon to consumers who are very careful and particular in maintaining their paintwork.

The workers are usually careful and I personally never had a case of having my paintwork scratched by the nozzle.

Scratches are very rare, but fuel spills could erode moderately strong protective coatings like waxes or sealants.

[KL01toKA03]

I'm all for it if it reduces fuel prices, or if it improves retailer margins so that a price hike can be delayed. Filling fuel is not a complicated process, and almost everyone should be able to do it without help. For consumers, it reduces the chances of fraud, and might even reduce waiting times. The risk is a greater chance of accidents, at least during the initial months.

[Miyata]

Bad idea for now!

In the State Side, most of the fuel pumps are self-served ones. With our large population and terrible state of unemployment, may as well let this go one for a while - some source of income for few people. Our massive human-capital will be laid to a waste in such ill thought out implementations.

Self-reliance (atma-nirbhar) needs to come in on a scale where we are self-reliant against foreign dependence by boosting every aspect of local manufacturing and exports. When that develops some maturity, it would be time to push for self-reliance at the pumps (and the like).

For now, we are just kidding (and insulting) ourselves in calling this Atma-Nirbhar.

[gopalnt]

Isnt it more safer that few employees touch the equipments rather than 1000s of people touching it? This is another area of unemployment concern but in a wrongly calculated move.

[Jeroen]

A bit of an International perspective; Self service petrol stations are par for the course in Europe and most of the USA (and probably a whole bunch of other countries).

In all honesty, apart from our years in India, I can’t even begin to recollect the last time I had somebody fill up my car for me. It must have been decades ago.
(Well actually, my wife’s home country Barbados is all attended pumps too)

Lots of the self service stations are unmanned too. You just pop your credit/debit card in the machine, fill up, and the amount is charged to your card.

Originally I seem to recall self service was introduced as a way to fill up cheaper. And we had petrol stations that gave you the option of being attended to, at a small premium, or DIY. But in a short space of time everybody and every oil company went self service.

As mentioned, it does provide work for a lot of people. I wonder if self service fuel pumps will catch on in India though?

Jeroen

[balenoed_]

This is something that is widely practiced in the US and many other countries as mentioned, so it is practical.

But if you just look at the Indian way of doing things, How is a misuse going to be avoided? Say, what stops some one to just escape without paying. Is there someone supervising?

[harry10]

Originally Posted by balenoed_

This is something that is widely practiced in the US and many other countries as mentioned, so it is practical.

But if you just look at the Indian way of doing things, How is a misuse going to be avoided? Say, what stops some one to just escape without paying. Is there someone supervising?

Maybe the cameras record every car number?
Also as per my understanding in Canada when you use these kind of pumps you have to first put your credit card in the slot and then fuel is dispensed. After fuelling the machine automatically deducts the amount of fuel filled.

Anyways, this is a stupid move in Covid times. I will never ever touch the machine which is touched by thousands. In fact I have even stopped paying by Cash. Now I only do Paytm or credit card payment. Both avoids any contact with the attendant.

[locusjag]

The gas station attendant is an ubiquitous part of everyone's lives and quite visibly so. Which is why the state of New Jersey has for long disallowed self-service at gas stations - employment generation and all that jazz. Every other state in the Eastern sea-board has only self-service stations meanwhile. Political populism is why NJ doesn't allow it.

I expect a similar stance to be taken by some states in India, if ever this concept makes it huge in this country.

[msdivy]

Earlier, the teller in the bank used to give me cash. I was forced to meet the teller in 2016 for depositing old notes. Except for that instance, I haven't met the teller in ages. Probably in the next few years, I wouldn't be meeting the fuel assistant too. After that it all-electric charging I suppose.

Originally Posted by harry10

I will never ever touch the machine which is touched by thousands.

How about using a paper napkin to touch the dispenser?

[Jeroen]

Just to add, most, if not all self service petrol station here in the west have disposable gloves (just simple plastic ones) at the ready, hanging next to each pump. You pull one or two out of the box.

I always use them, long before Corona. I just don’t like the smell of petrol/diesel on my hands.

But of course, there is always people that can improve on existing idea. Check out the GripHero. Specifically introduced during the Corona crisis.

https://www.griphero.com/#

Jeroen

[iamswift]

In few countries like USA, this is more sophisticated. You have to swipe the card first and fill in the fuel. Once you put the pump back in its place, the cost is calculated based on the filled fuel (card swipe to pump-back) and debited from card swipe done earlier. I hope this system develops here in India.

[Malyaj]

I am curious how this controls spread of the virus. If the payment is still to be handled by the attendant (as it appears from the post) how is this reducing the risk? The only thing it does is allow the station to operate with slightly lesser manpower in the long run. Initially it would require attendants to help out those who are struggling with the apparatus.

The only reason I would want this to take off in a big way is to reduce the waiting time at the pump. Some folks make refuelling a picnic, taking their own sweet time to get out of the car, chatting with the attendant about world affairs, giving instructions (for god knows what), summoning the windshield cleaner, retrieving their wallets from some secret storage place and then some more chatter.

On the other hand, I don't trust ourselves with automation too much either. People make a picnic out of cash withdrawals from ATMs too so this could go the same way.