Stores to hike price of petrol during the school run

DRIVERS will soon be forced to pay higher prices for petrol on bank holidays and on the school run.

Artificial intelligence computer programs capable of charging drivers extra at busy times has arrived in the UK and will be used by major supermarkets as part of a secret pricing revolution.

Stores are in late-stage talks with Denmark-based a2i Systems, the firm which sells the computer algorithm, and could install it within months.

Motorists could see prices shift several times over a day, with the cost rising or falling by up to 2p a litre – around £1 per tank, the Daily Telegraph reports.

Thousands of companies across the US and Europe already use the technology, where it is common for fuel prices to change up to ten times a day.

It works by using an algorithm, modelled on the human brain, which scours huge databases of customer information to pre- dict how individuals behave. If the computer detects that supermarkets are having a quiet spell it could drop petrol prices to attract shoppers through the doors.

Alternatively if a filling station is especially busy, such as on a sunny day or on the school run, it could raise the price.

Luke Bosdet, a fuel analyst at the AA, said: ‘This represents a huge change which would be most unfair on commuters and families visiting relatives during the holidays. It will wind them up no end as they will become wise to the fact that retailers can exploit price movements.’

Jason Lloyd, of Petrolprices.com, said the UK industry lagged far behind other countries and the technology would revolutionise pricing.

Martin McTague, of the UK arm of a2i, said: ‘This way of petrol pricing is completely new to the UK. Currently prices are very competitor focused rather than being focused on the behaviour of customers.’