Eagle-eyed motorists have been helping drive a major clamp down on unfair fuel pricing in NSW.
Road users in the state have helped authorities snare almost 100 servos who have been lying about their fuel prices through a government transparency scheme.
The government’s FuelCheck app allows motorists to access up-to-date information about how much fuel is costing at the bowsers – with station owners duty-bound to keep the authorities informed.
However, if it is proven they are telling authorities different figures to what they charge punters at the pumps, they can face fines.
To date, 4600 field inspections have been carried out by NSW Fair Trading, resulting in more than 270 fines.
And of these, almost 100 have come as a result of members of the public blowing the whistle when they spot something wrong.
“Our inspectors have been working around the clock in every corner of the state checking for compliance in petrol stations to stamp out price mismatches,” NSW Fair Trading commissioner Natasha Mann said.
“FuelCheck is a crucial tool that puts power back in the hands of motorists.”
It has also been revealed that petrol stations in regional areas are attempting to take advantage of their remote locations to dodge fair pricing rules – with one claiming a 24 cent difference to what they were actually charging.
Data newly published by NSW Fair Trading has revealed a disproportionate amount of fines being handed out for rural stations when compared with metropolitan Sydney.
As the organisation continues a clampdown on unfair pricing through the FuelCheck program, it has revealed an imbalance in where offending takes place.
Despite there being a roughly equal share of inspections being carried out in Sydney and in rural areas, it is those outside of the metropolitan areas that are eating up the lion’s share of the fines.
New figures show that of more than 4600 field inspections and reinspection, about 70 per cent have been issued to stations in regional areas.
NSW Fair Trading has also revealed the areas which have revealed the greatest number of penalties for breaking fair pricing rules.
The Southern Tablelands and South Coast has recorded the largest number – 33 in total – with most of these being mismatches between the prices at the pump and those logged with FuelCheck authorities.
Under the program, service stations are required to upload what they are charging onto the government’s FuelCheck app, allowing motorists access to the prices.
If it is found that the amount advertised does not tot up with the price at the bowser, fines can be issued.
Servos in the Riverina and Central West were also among those with the highest number of price mismatches – with 30 and 21 fines respectively.
Meanwhile, one retailer, in the Murray region, was found to have a whopping 24 cents per litre difference between the price it claimed to charge and what it actually was.
NSW Fair Trading Minister Anoulack Chanthivong said fair pricing started with “fair behaviour at the bowser”.
“The sheer number of fines issued shows that the Minns Labor government will not back down,” he said.
Inspectors have found repeat offenders in several areas, including Cooma, Lismore, Kelso, Newcastle, Goulburn and Port Kembla.
