The Royal Automobile Association of South Australia (RAA) says motorists are paying millions of dollars more than they should for petrol, because the state government hasn’t delivered on a promise to deliver real-time pricing.
It comes as the operators of one independent service station revealed their prices were being inflated online, costing them business.
At Angaston Motors in the Barossa Valley the price at the pump says 140.9 cents, but that’s not the number people are seeing online.
Staff from the country service station post their price to several petrol price apps each morning but they can be deliberately altered.
“Don’t believe what these apps are saying because someone has gone in and changed them to a price that doesn’t reflect what our pricing is,” owner Janine Vaughan said.
It’s a problem the RAA says is costing motorists plenty and, it argues, there’s a simple solution.
It wants the government to deliver on an election promise and mandate real time petrol pricing.
Online apps and websites could then use the accurate information allowing motorists to find the cheapest fuel offers.
“The government have to honour a commitment they’ve made to the motorist of South Australia and get it up and running,” Mark Borlace, of the RAA, said.
New South Wales, the Northern Territory and Queensland already have price transparency and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission says it’s saving people money.
Its research has shown motorists in South Australia alone could save $55 million a year if they avoid buying at the fuel price peak.
The government says it will ask for an update on interstate trials at a Consumer Affairs Forum this week but put the blame, in part, back on the RAA for not agreeing to partner with it to deliver a fuel price app.
“The reality is we’re not a data app company, there are a lot of people out there who can do it better,” the RAA’s Mark Borlace responded.
“The government really need the best in the industry to do that sort of stuff.”
Extracted from 9news