The South Australian motorists’ association, the RAA, says the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) fuel price monitoring deal with the state government could cost motorists up to $24 a tank when filling up.
Site specific fuel prices are no longer available via the RAA’s website.
RAA’s senior manager – mobility and automotive policy, Mark Borlace, said previously the RAA had received site specific fuel prices for Adelaide twice a day, and that information was shared with motorists via the organisation’s website.
“We also use the data to monitor price trends day to day, which allows us to notify motorists when a price spike is imminent, just as we did this week when prices spiked 27cpl. As of today, we are only able to provide a daily average price for fuel in Adelaide, which is significantly inferior to what motorists have benefited from via our website for more than a decade,” Mr Borlace said on Saturday.
Call for fuel reporting regime based on NSW model
Mr Bolace is now calling for South Australia to follow in New South Wales’ footsteps and introduce a state-based fuel price information website.
More than 2000 service stations in NSW have registered to the FuelCheck website, which gives consumers real time access to petrol prices around the state.
“Not only would an initiative like this allow motorists to find the cheapest prices, it also means we could continue to scrutinise the fuel industry and enhance competition amongst retailers who have to compete with a good price to attract customers,” said Mr Borlace.
“Limited pricing information is available via a number of smartphone apps but these offerings do not reliably tell motorists where to find the cheapest fuel.
“We’re also concerned that by only providing fuel prices in one format, it disadvantages over half of our members who don’t use smartphone apps. These people are generally the most sensitive to fuel price movements and would benefit most from knowing where to find the cheapest prices.
“In reality, most motorists will be left in the dark when it comes to fuel prices due to the ACCC’s agreement with the fuel industry,” said Mr Borlace.
SA prices to expected to drop during school holidays: MotorMouth
Fuel price monitoring organisation MotorMouth has urged SA motorists to save money by accessing the near-real time petrol prices available through its smartphone app.
MotorMouth spokesperson Alan Cadd said: “The good news for Adelaide motorists is that with school holidays starting on 1 October, and based on the current pricing pattern, we would expect prices to be dropping throughout the holiday period”.
“But wherever the prices are positioned in the cycle, the price savvy motorist has the ability to discover the best time and place to buy petrol across the country through MotorMouth… and others such as Compare the Market. And this information is available to motorists free of charge,” Mr Cadd said.
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