Self-service petrol pump started in Pune

• The initiative has been started by a Bharat Petroleum fuel station in Pune.
• It reduces the physical interaction between customers and attendants at the petrol pump.
• Customers can choose to refuel by cost, volume or even fill a full tank.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, an increasing number of businesses are looking to incorporate social distancing in their daily activities. One such example is a Bharat Petroleum (BP) fuel pump located in Pune, which has introduced a new self-service system under an 'Atmanirbhar’ campaign.

How does the 'Atmanirbhar’ self-service pump work?

This system negates the need for an attendant at the petrol pump to help with refuelling, thereby promoting social distancing.

There are three main ways in which a customer can operate the fuel pump machine. The first is to fill by quantity of fuel, for which the customer can enter the desired volume (in litres) of petrol or diesel on the pump. The second method is filling by cost, which allows the customer to select the amount (in Rs) they want to spend on fuel. The last is to fill a full tank of fuel by selecting fill by volume and entering 500 litres (automatic cut-off at tank full).

Once the method of refuelling is decided, the customer can take the fuel nozzle and begin filling their vehicles. After this, all the customer has to do is place the fuel nozzle back in its boot and pay for the fuel.

How does this promote social distancing?

As there no longer needs to be an attendant to refuel vehicles, it reduces their unnecessary physical interaction with the customer and helps maintain distance as much as possible. Additionally, there are sanitisation measures in place at the pump to further reduce the spread of the virus.

Where are the 'Atmanirbhar’ petrol pumps located?

As of now, the Bharat Petroleum fuel station located near the Regional Transport Office in Pune is the first petrol pump to adopt this system. We could see more petrol pumps across the country adopting this self-service system in the future to help contain the spread of the coronavirus. Interestingly, while this is the first self-service petrol pump in India, this system has been practiced in US, UK, Europe and other countries for many years now. 

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