'Every Dirham Matters': Dubai Motorists Rush To Fill Up Before October Fuel Price Hike

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) As soon as petrol prices for October were announced, many motorists across Dubai began heading to petrol stations to fill up before the new rates took effect. By Wednesday morning, some drivers were facing waits of more than 20 minutes, with many choosing to refuel during work breaks or making an extra stop on their usual journeys to avoid the after-work rush.

Khaleej Times visited four petrol stations in Al Garhoud, Business Bay, Al Khail Road, and Al Quoz, where motorists reported waiting between 20 and 25 minutes by 11am. Station attendants said queues had started forming at around 10.30am, shortly after the announcement.

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Several drivers told KT they had been going about their usual routines when they read the news. They decided to fill up earlier than planned, with some expecting to save around Dh80 on fuel.

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At a petrol station in Business Bay, Amr Al Four, who works nearby, said he had stepped away from the office to fill up his car.“As soon as I read the news about the increase in prices, I decided to refill my car's tank. I knew that the stations would be crowded in the evening,” he said.

He was not the only one who took a break from work. Other employees also adjusted their routines to save a little extra on fuel before the new prices took effect.

For Salman, another driver, it was the sight of queues at petrol stations that caught his attention.“I did not see the announcement and was surprised to find so many cars waiting at a petrol station in the morning,” he said.

He then remembered that it was the last day of the month and checked the fuel prices online.“When I learnt about the increase, I understood why motorists were queueing. My next stop was the nearest station to fill up,” said Salman.

Meanwhile, Dubai resident Annie Varghese made a point of stopping at a petrol station on her way to work, despite having filled up her SUV just days earlier.

"I was already expecting petrol prices to go up this month - considering how oil has been trending north of $100 this week - but the announcement still hurt," she said. "My SUV's tank wasn't empty; I'd just filled it up on Sunday. But at this point, every dirham matters. I paid Dh67 for 18 litres of petrol (special 95) today. Next week, that will cost me Dh77."

While Annie said the queue was already building at the bunk she was at by 11.30am, it was at a more remote location so she was done refuelling in 10 minutes. "I could see really long queues at other petrol stations along the highway though; those drivers definitely looked like they'd be there a while, but it's also the smart thing to do to refuel today."

Annie added the new rates prompted immediate reactions from some of her colleagues, who are either hoping their workplaces will grant them more flexibility to work from home this month or considering the switch to public transport, if possible.

Savings across a fleet

The saving depends on how many litres a motorist buys and the fuel grade. Someone topping up a partly filled tanks would save less than someone buying a larger amount of the same fuel.

Some motorists estimated that they would save around Dh30 on their refill while some may save nearly Dh80. The amount varied depending on how much fuel they needed.

Vehicles from a tourism company were also at the stations for refuelling. One company driver said that the savings could add up to more than Dh3,000 across its fleet.“We have about 60 cars in our company, and we need to get them filled before the end of the day. Some cars are booked, and we are filling up the cars that are parked now."

“We estimate that we can save about Dh55 to Dh60 on one vehicle before the new prices take effect. Across our whole fleet, we may save over Dh3,000,” the driver added.

Queues begin forming by 10.30am

Attendants told Khaleej Times that the stations usually see activity at that hour, but cars do not normally form queues.

“The queue is because of the increase in fuel prices. We started seeing motorists come to us around 10.30am, and we are expecting more people after 4pm,” said a petrol station attendant in Al Quoz.

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