Demand fuels mobile gas station
Truck first of its kind in Cape Breton
SYDNEY – In an attempt to attract new business, Sydco Energy in Sydney is bringing an innovative service directly to customers with Cape Breton’s first “gas station on wheels.”
The 40-year-old family-run company introduced Sydco Mobile, a gasoline delivery service, at the beginning of May.
Sydco is known primarily as a home heating oil provider, but longtime manager Mike Pace said the company now also sells and delivers propane, diesel and gasoline.
A couple of years ago, Pace said, the plan to bring the pumps to customers was hatched. He worked with a company in Ontario for over a year to build a custom truck to carry regular and supreme gasoline, diesel and diesel exhaust fluid. The truck arrived last week and a second is on the way.
Pace said the timing of the roll-out, amid record-breaking gas prices, brought an unexpected challenge.
“When I ordered the trucks, gas prices were around $1 a litre, so I never, ever thought I would see $1.92 and it’s probably going to go higher, unfortunately. I did not ever envision my receivables going this high.”
In the first week, Pace said, Sydco has picked up some new bulk customers, including Basque Fuels and Convenience in Potlotek, which bought a million litres of gas, as well as commercial clients including Macdonald Ford, where they filled up 16 vehicles on the lot.
POSITIVE FEEDBACK
The company is targeting area employers to sign on to make the delivery service available to employees during the workday, when their vehicles are sitting outside. Individuals can order a fill-up at any location within Sydco’s service area, which encompasses all of Industrial Cape Breton and stretches as far as Ross Ferry, Gabarus, Middle Cape and Louisbourg.
So far, Pace said, he has received positive feedback, and the biggest draw is convenience.
“Normally people are going to want their gasoline on Thursdays because, as you saw this week, the pumps were lined up down the street because the price went up 11.2 cents on Friday, so now they don’t have to line up, they can just call and we’ll fill you up right where you are,” he said.
“We’ve got customers for life after four days. We’re going to people’s houses and filling them up; they don’t have to go to the gas station anymore.”
GROWING TREND
Gas delivery has been catching on across North America over the past few years with companies popping up everywhere from Silicon Valley to Vancouver to London, Ont. Those companies charge a service fee on top of the everrising cost of gasoline.
But Sydco provides the service, the only one of its kind in Nova Scotia, free of charge and gas costs the self-serve price at the pump.
Pace said the service came with a steep initial investment: over $500,000 for the trucks and then purchasing the gas at current prices. He said the expectation is that it will pay off in the long run if it grows a loyal customer base for all of Sydco’s services.
“Whatever energy you need, whether it’s furnace oil, gasoline or propane, we are a one-stop shop, so it’s just about promotion, informing the customer what we can do for them. It’s going to work but it just takes a little bit of time.”
The delivery service is available seven days a week and can be ordered online or by calling Sydco’s Sydney office.