Rather than a maximum spend for petrol, we need a minimum

[KingsleyShacklebolt]

Lots of talk of rationing petrol to deal with the people who are panic buying.

I would suggest an alternative approach - a minimum spend. I filled my car yesterday, it's a big mum bus MPV thing so takes £60 - £70 of diesel to fill up. And before anyone asks yes I did need to fill it, it was well into the red.

But the woman in front of me and the man adjacent spent less than £10 each. So their car was clearly not empty.

So why not have a minimum spend? Say £20 or £30? It would stop people topping up every couple of days "just in case". Would stop people filling jerry cans. People aren't going to keep filling up jerry cans or topping up every day if they know that their couple of litres is going to cost £30.

Where did I say we were owed an apology? I said it would be nice.

OP you've come across as rather selfish and judgemental. Why should someone who's only putting £10 or less in have any less right to do so than you have to put in £30 or more? That £10 worth could be the difference, money wise or fuel wise, to get to work or not, get to a hospital appointment or not, or pick up shopping for an elderly or vulnerable person or not. I think it's unlikely people would queue for hours for fuel to put in £10 if they could manage more.

Your posts smack of I'm alright Jack as you drive around in your big gas guzzler 'mum bus' which plenty folk would judge you for so I'd suggest getting off the high horse

Not everyone has the spare funds to fill up. You are obviously a lot more well off than some. I fill up £10 at a time.

Nah, I'm not apologising.

Because I just don't believe that EVERYONE who is filling up a tenner is doing so because they can't afford more.

Doesn't fit the lefty rhetoric of MN though, that everyone is using foodbanks and everyone is on the breadline because of the nasty tories - and no, before there's another pile on, I don't vote for them either.

Most people are not living paycheck to paycheck. Even the Uber-lefty Big Issue says 23% of people are living in poverty. Therefore, 77% of people are not. And you could probably argue that people who are very poor are less likely to have a car anyway.

But it does seem a minimum spend is unworkable for a whole host of other reasons, and agree that petrol station workers shouldn't be policing it. But rationing petrol comes with its issues too, if you're someone who has a high weekly mileage, your £30 might only last a couple of days and you're back queuing again.

Fortunesfavour My son is 54.

They need someone at the entrance to the forecourt who looks at your fuel gauge. If it's more than half full, then no, you can't have any.

Because I just don't believe that EVERYONE who is filling up a tenner is doing so because they can't afford more.

I don't think everyone here thinks that either just suggested that people might be so a minimum spend wouldn't be fair.

Because I just don't believe that EVERYONE who is filling up a tenner is doing so because they can't afford more.

Nobody has actually said that, though.

if you're someone who has a high weekly mileage, your £30 might only last a couple of days and you're back queuing again

Oh, boo-hoo. Why is that a problem, exactly?

@KingsleyShacklebolt

Nah, I'm not apologising.

Because I just don't believe that EVERYONE who is filling up a tenner is doing so because they can't afford more.

Doesn't fit the lefty rhetoric of MN though, that everyone is using foodbanks and everyone is on the breadline because of the nasty tories - and no, before there's another pile on, I don't vote for them either.

Most people are not living paycheck to paycheck. Even the Uber-lefty Big Issue says 23% of people are living in poverty. Therefore, 77% of people are not. And you could probably argue that people who are very poor are less likely to have a car anyway.

But it does seem a minimum spend is unworkable for a whole host of other reasons, and agree that petrol station workers shouldn't be policing it. But rationing petrol comes with its issues too, if you're someone who has a high weekly mileage, your £30 might only last a couple of days and you're back queuing again.

Living in poverty is not the same as living paycheck to pay check. You’re comparing apples and oranges.

Because queues are what stokes the panic.

Because I just don't believe that EVERYONE who is filling up a tenner is doing so because they can't afford more.

Nobody said that. What people said is that your proposed £30 limit would hit the poorest.

Which it would.

Of course not everyone topping up is in that category, but your limit would hit those who are and who don’t have the £30 to meet your arbitrary limit.

my local garage is allowing people £10 maximum spend!

But a £10 max is also useless for those who have to travel a distance to work. And wouldn’t be any good for the op in her huge “mum bus” and her daughter who can’t get the actual bus to work so she won’t be on for that at all😂😂😂

You are being completely unreasonable and just because you could afford to do a minimum spend doesn't mean everyone else could or that this is the resolve to this issue

Many times I have had to put in just a couple of pounds worth of petrol just to get me going. Maybe it's a couple days before pay day, maybe I don't have any other money on me and I only have a fiver but I NEED that petrol to get there.

You'll do far more harm by putting a minimum spend than not and I'm glad you won't be the one getting to make a decision like that

They might have used the last fumes to get to the garage and can only afford a tenner. That might be their only means of getting to work.

Did you really need a full tank? Or could you have managed with less for the next few days?

Check your privilege OP

@KingsleyShacklebolt

Because queues are what stokes the panic.

But if there's a £30 limit, nobody can buy more than they need...if they have to go 2-3 a week then that's just what will have to happen.

All the stations near us have put a limit on how much people can spend - it's not exactly a big problem to have to go more than once a week if that's what you need.

Great idea! Poor people shouldn't have cars in the first place!

Gosh I'm so thankful people here in Northern Ireland don't seem to be panicking, at least not where I am. We need to fill the Jerry can for the ride on mower but have been putting it off so I don't look like an idiot...

Wow. The pandemic really did bring out the best in everyone didn't it.
You do you, end of.

"And as for "should be" - almost 3 hours on a bus every day she works rather than 40 minutes by car? OK then."

You wait for her to finish?!

We've got under half a tank of petrol. We haven't been to the petrol station for about ten days. We have no intention of going to the petrol station until we need to. When we do go we won't fill up, we'll probably put about £20 in. We don't have a filling schedule. We just go when we need to and that really depends on the sort of journeys we've been doing.

We are also replacing lots of journeys that we would make by car with walking and cycling partly to help with the current situation but mostly to be environmentally friendly.

We are lucky that we live somewhere we can do it (no bus connections though) and that we have bikes. What we do isn't a solution for everyone.

I used to have a part time job when I was 15 and 16 that took me an hour and half to get to, on two buses (lived elsewhere at the time) so I'm not sure why you are mollycoddling your DD by taking her to work. Negatively affects her independence and gives her a sense of entitlement.

I hope you charge her taxi fares!!!

@Wroxie

What I'm confused about is all the people in this thread who don't understand how money works- putting £50 in your car every five weeks is the same as £10 every week and saves you four miserable trips to the petrol station! Plus people who could afford to fill up but think they're better off on half a tank at all times. So weird.

Yes, I understand lots of people live week to week, I've been there, but I still managed to budget my ten pounds per week to save for the next fill-up instead of stopping every week.

It's you who doesn't understand. If someone who is paid weekly has £10 left until the next payday and their fuel light is on, the £10 needs to go in the fuel tank. It will see them through to the same time next week when once again they'll have £10 and an empty tank. They can't just run their car on thin air whilst they wait 5 weeks until they've got £50 to put in it 🙄

@NigelSlatersXmasTaters

"And as for "should be" - almost 3 hours on a bus every day she works rather than 40 minutes by car? OK then."

You wait for her to finish?!

Quite obviously not.

As it happens, I generally do other jobs after dropping her off, come home, go back to pick her up later. Obviously nobody sits in a retail park car park in the car all day.

I have a plug in hybrid. It costs £30 to fill up from empty. But if I was half empty and had a long motorway drive I'd fill it up. So only £15 but I'd need it.

Because I just don't believe that EVERYONE who is filling up a tenner is doing so because they can't afford more.

Nobody else thinks that either. People have pointed this out a million times now but you are too dense to hear it.

And now apparently having a small amount of common sense and critical thinking makes people "lefty" 😂