Pockets picked at petrol pump
Photo: Michael Doyle
DARLING DOWNS motorists have had their pockets picked by recent fuel prices, according to the state’s largest automotive club.
The RACQ said petrol stations across the Darling Downs ripped-off customers by hiking up the price of fuel by up to nine cents per litre (cpl) in a week.
The motoring body said Toowoomba residents on average were paying 146.5cpl for unleaded fuel last week, a jump of 8.6 cents.
The heavy hit to the wallet was felt more in Dalby, as motorists had their fuel hiked up by nine cents to 149.9cpl.
RACQ spokeswoman Renee Smith said there was no reason for the massive spike for Darling Downs motorists.
“This is why we’ve been campaigning for real time petrol price data to be made mandatory, so regional Queensland drivers can hold their local service stations to account,” Ms Smith.
“This is a joke. We’re getting ripped off and servos raking in almost 17cpl in indicative retail margins is just not on.”
Sudden spikes in fuel price can have major effects on people like Dalby man Geoff Farquharson who extensively drives for work and family commitments.
He said he had noticed a dramatic rise in fuel recently, and said it could make balancing the weekly budget difficult.
“About two weeks ago fuel (e10) went from 138cpl to 148cpl basically overnight. Yet at some other fuel establishments the fuel as remained at 130cpl,” Mr Farquharson said.
He believes if the major fuel retailers continue to charge highly for petrol, both families and workers will feel the pinch.