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Filling station

A filling station (also known as a gas station [US] or petrol station [UK]) is a facility that sells fuel and engine lubricants for motor vehicles. The most common fuels sold in the 2010s were gasoline (or petrol) and diesel fuel.

Not to be confused with charging station or fuelling station.

Gasoline pumps are used to pump gasoline, diesel, compressed natural gas, CGH2, HCNG, LPG, liquid hydrogen, kerosene, alcohol fuel (like methanol, ethanol, butanol, and propanol), biofuels (like straight vegetable oil and biodiesel), or other types of fuel into the tanks within vehicles and calculate the financial cost of the fuel transferred to the vehicle. Besides gasoline pumps, one other significant device which is also found in filling stations and can refuel certain (compressed-air) vehicles is an air compressor, although generally these are just used to inflate car tires.


Many filling stations provide convenience stores, which may sell confections, alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, lottery tickets, soft drinks, snacks, coffee, newspapers, magazines, and, in some cases, a small selection of grocery items, such as milk. Some also sell propane or butane and have added shops to their primary business. Conversely, some chain stores, such as supermarkets, discount stores, warehouse clubs, or traditional convenience stores, have provided fuel pumps on the premises.

Terminology[edit]

In North America the fuel is known as "gasoline" or "gas" for short, and the terms "gas station" and "service station" are used in the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean. In some regions of Canada, the term "gas bar" (or "gasbar") is used. In the rest of the English-speaking world the fuel is known as "petrol", and the term "petrol station" or "petrol pump" is used. In the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand and South Africa "garage" and "forecourt" is still commonly used. Similarly, in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Ireland, the term "service station" describes any petrol station; Australians and New Zealanders also call it a "servo". In India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, it is called a "petrol pump" or a "petrol bunk". In Japanese, a commonly used term is gasoline stand[Note 1] although the abbreviation SS (for service station) is also used.

Negative impacts[edit]

Human health[edit]

Gasoline contains a mixture of BTEX hydrocarbons (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes). Prolonged exposure to toluene can cause permanent damage to the central nervous system, and chlorinated solvents can cause liver and kidney problems.[12] Benzene in particular causes leukemia and is associated with non-Hodgkin lymphoma and multiple myeloma.[13] People who work in filling stations, live near them, or attend school close to them are exposed to fumes and are at increased lifetime risk of cancer, with risk increased if there are multiple stations nearby.[13] There is some evidence that living near a filling station is a risk for childhood leukemia.[14][15] In addition to long-term exposure, there are bursts of short-term exposures to benzene when tanker trucks deliver fuel.[16] High levels of benzene have been detected near stations across urban, suburban, and rural environments, though the causes (such as road traffic or congestion) can vary by location.[17]


Gas station attendants have suffered adverse health consequences depending on the type of fuel used, exposure to vehicle exhaust, and types of personal protective equipment (PPE) offered. Studies have noted higher levels of chromosomal deletions[18] and higher rates of miscarriage,[19] and workers have reported headaches, fatigue, throat irritation and depression.[20] Exposure to exhaust and fumes has been associated with eye irritation, nausea, dizziness, and cough.[21]

Environment[edit]

Gasoline can leak into the surrounding soil and water, posing health risks.[22] Areas formerly occupied by stations are often contaminated, resulting in brownfields and urban blight. Underground storage tanks (USTs) were typically made of steel and were common in the United States, but were prone to corrosion. They received national attention in 1983 after an episode of 60 Minutes documented significant drinking water contamination from a Mobil station in Canob Park in Richmond, Rhode Island.[23] This led to regulations banning these types of tanks in 1985.[24] However, tanks that ceased operation before 1986 are unlikely to have been recorded, and many underground tanks are thus unknowingly hidden beneath redeveloped land, contributing to soil, groundwater, and indoor air pollution.[25]


Because of the relatively small size of former stations (compared to larger brownfields), the cost-per-acre to rehabilitate the land is higher; the total cost in the United States is not known but is in the billions of dollars.[25] Individual cleanups may be complex, with some in Canada taking decades and costing millions of dollars both for the cleanup efforts and in legal fees to determine whether individuals, governments, or corporations are liable for costs.[26]

Economic costs[edit]

The cost of potential cleanup of a former filling station can lower property values, discourage development of land, and depress neighbouring property values and potential tax revenue.[25] When areas are known to be contaminated by leaking underground storage tanks, the sale value of the land and neighbouring area drops.[27][28] An analysis of residential properties in Cuyahoga County, Ohio estimated the loss at about 17% when within 300 feet (91 m) or one block of a registered leaking tank.[27] Active filling stations have similar negative effects on property values, with an analysis in Xuancheng, China finding a loss of 16% within 100 metres (330 ft) and 9% when between 301 metres (988 ft) and 600 metres (2,000 ft).[29]

Marketing[edit]

North America[edit]

In the United States and Canada, there are generally two marketing types of filling stations: premium brands and discount brands.

Payment methods[edit]

Australia and New Zealand[edit]

Most service stations allow the customer to pump the fuel before paying. In recent years, some service stations have required customers to purchase their fuel first. In some small towns, the customer may hand the cash to the attendant on the forecourt if they are paying for a set amount of fuel and have no change; but usually customers will enter the service centre to pay a cashier. Some supermarkets have their own forecourts which are unmanned and payment is pay-at-pump only. Customers at the supermarket will receive a discount voucher which offers discounted fuel at their forecourt. The amount of discount varies depending on the amount spent on groceries at the supermarket, but normally starts at 4 cents a litre.


In New Zealand, BP has an app for smartphones that detects a user's location, then allows one to select the type of fuel, which pump, and how much to spend. The amount is then deducted from the user's account.

Canada[edit]

In British Columbia and Alberta, it is a legal requirement that customers either pre-pay for the fuel or pay at the pump. The law is called "Grant's Law"[32] and is intended to prevent "gas-and-dash" crimes, where a customer refuels and then drives away without paying for it. In other provinces, payment after filling is permitted and widely available, though some stations may require either a pre-payment or a payment at the pump during night hours.

Ireland[edit]

In the Republic of Ireland, most stations allow customers to pump fuel before paying. Some stations have pay-at-the-pump facilities.

Fixing prices and exchanging information on prices or cost (including discounts and rebates),

Limiting or restraining competition unduly,

Engaging in misleading or deceptive practices.

The UK has 8,385 filling stations As of 2019, down from about 18,000 in 1992[73] and a peak of around 40,000 in the mid-1960s.

[72]

The US had 114,474 stations in 2012, according to the US Census Bureau, down from 118,756 in 2007 and 121,446 in 2002.[75][76]

[74]

In Canada, the number is on the decline. As of December 2008, 12,684 were in operation, significantly down from about 20,000 stations recorded in 1989.

[77]

In Japan, the number dropped from a peak of 60,421 in 1994 to 40,357 at the end of 2009.

[78]

In Germany, the number dropped down to 14,300 in 2011.

[79]

In China, according to different reports, the total number of gas/oil stations (at the end of 2018) is about 106,000.

[80]

India—60,799 (as of November 2017)

Russia—there were about 25,000 stations in the Russian Federation (2011)

In Argentina, as of 2021, there are more than 5000 stations.

(LPG)

Autogas

Automated fueling

Biofuels

Convenience store

Ethanol

Filling station attendant

Gas pump

Gasoline usage and pricing

Gasoline

Highway oasis

Hydrogen station

List of automotive fuel retailers

LPG tank connections

National Association of Convenience Stores

Petroleum

(a gas station in space)

Propellant depot

Road trip

at HowStuffWorks

Energy Policy: How Gas Stations Price Gas

—Documentary produced by Wisconsin Public Television

Fill'er Up