Insane Petrol prices

[Ric]

I find it a joke that my wife filled up last Thursday for $1.57 a litre. I filled up last Friday for a $1.63 a litre.

Lo and behold, I topped up on Monday morning and it was $1.57 a litre again.

This has been going on as long as I've been riding (33 years) and it is accepted as normal.

Tell me thats not pure and simple greed.

[AstralTraveller (David)]

The restructuring of our cities that occurred in the age of cheap (er) fuel has a lot to answer for. People used to live very near where they worked but now they travel considerable distances. I'm not suggesting that living 500m from the gate of a filthy factory is the answer but when you hear of people commuting from Nowra to Sydney you know that isn't sustainable either.

I'd be interested to know what sort of km people who commute do each year. I'm luck enough (or well organised enough??) that I can walk to work or get on the free bus. My wife works from home or get the train to Sydney (we live 5 min from the station). Our car averages about 10,000km per year. Of that about a third will be on annual leave and much of the rest will be weekend trips or observing nights (a very small item recently). Only a minority is visiting friends/relatives or going shopping etc. That is why we can afford to run a 4WD which will take us to the places we like to visit on holidays.

I know organising life this way isn't easy and only a minority can achieve it at the moment. However we really must address the issues of (1) so many people traveling so far every day and (2) them being basically compelled to do it in such an inefficient manner.

[Ric]

Hi David

I have a farm outside of Canberra and travel around 400 km a week to work and back and average around 20,000 km a year on my bike. My wife does about the same in her car as well. Unfortunately different work areas and start times make it very difficult for us to share the car or the bike. Out our way there is no bus service but it wouldn't matter anyway as the cost of bus tickets make it cheaper to take the vehicles anyway.

Fortunately the sales of eggs and honey at the local markets and to people at work pays for a bit of the petrol costs but not much though, probably around 25 - 30%

[TrevorW]

Yeah but Govt(s) still expand cities making affordable land in outer suburbs where people travel over 70klms one way to work, when large tracts of inner city land goes unused.

This isn't about improving our lives or making things cheaper for us it is about making the rich richer. Motor vehicles in Australia IMO are a necessary not a luxury. Current public transport systems don't provide direct, speedy, reliable, comfortable travel.

Example in WA the other day due to a fault on the rail system(s) thousands of early morning train patrons could not get to work for over 1/2 a day (no contigency plan to cater for such an emergency)

The Govt said they'd refund all their train fares, a token pittance as it would have cost business millions $$$ in lost man hours.

We produce more LPG than we can used but look at the price of gas.

[Poita (Peter)]

Originally Posted by Ric

I find it a joke that my wife filled up last Thursday for $1.57 a litre. I filled up last Friday for a $1.63 a litre.

Lo and behold, I topped up on Monday morning and it was $1.57 a litre again.

This has been going on as long as I've been riding (33 years) and it is accepted as normal.

Tell me thats not pure and simple greed.

I used to do the accounts for petrol stations, and I can assure you they make very little off the fuel. They make most of their money off the extra items people buy in the shop. They would have one of the smallest margins of any retailers. Now the oil companies make good money, but it isn't the petrol station retailer that sees much of it.

[kevy02 (Kevin)]

Don't get me started, how about the prices we pay for electricity and gas, and thats about to get a lot worse when the carbon tax kicks in .

[Stardrifter_WA]

Originally Posted by kevy02

Don't get me started, how about the prices we pay for electricity and gas, and thats about to get a lot worse when the carbon tax kicks in .

Hey Kev, there is an adage that says "there are two things certain in life, death and taxes". Old saying, but still applies, unfortunately. Everything goes up, rarely down (except for electronics). I can remember when fuel was about 4 shillings (40c) a gallon (4.5 litres); and I couldn't afford to buy it then either

[bartman (Bart)]

In Holland we used to go from Utrecht to Amsterdam ~30k's and would take 30-40 mins depending on traffic by car. Perth to the Vines is slightly less than 30k's but takes about the same time.
However, take a train from Utrecht to Amsterdam and youll be there in less time and less pollution.
Try and take a train/ bus to the Vines from Perth and tell me how long it would take you! ( and if youll get there at all).
Taxi $40......thats if it arrives....
I believe in Holland you can pretty much get anywhere anytime via public transport.(please correct me if I'm wrong)

Originally Posted by skysurfer

Well that's "cheap" !
Here in Holland you pay EUR 1.76 per liter, which is more than AU$ 2 !
The most expensive of Europe !

Originally Posted by AndrewJ

Yeah, but even at that price it still only takes $2 to drive across Holland
Andrew

????? Even if Holland was only 100ks across and your car did like Jens car(see below) it would be well over $13....and btw the major roads in Holland during peak periods are packed and almost at a standstill.
I kinda get what you mean thou Andrew

Originally Posted by jenchris

My car (Mazda 3 2lite) does 6.9l/100k.

Bartman

[Saturn%5 (Graeme)]

A new servo opened down the road from me last week, I got fuel on friday $ 1.43 over the weekend it was $1.58 and then monday it was back at $1.43 guess we just have to shop around.

[Stardrifter_WA]

Originally Posted by Saturn%5

A new servo opened down the road from me last week, I got fuel on friday $ 1.43 over the weekend it was $1.58 and then monday it was back at $1.43 guess we just have to shop around.

In Western Australia that is getting harder and harder as the two supermarket chains are consuming all the independent stations. Has anyone else noticed that Coles and Woolworth stations always seem to have the same price. No competition means more costly fuel.

[Ric]

Originally Posted by Poita

I used to do the accounts for petrol stations, and I can assure you they make very little off the fuel. They make most of their money off the extra items people buy in the shop. They would have one of the smallest margins of any retailers. Now the oil companies make good money, but it isn't the petrol station retailer that sees much of it.

Hi Peter

If they make very little off the petrol then why does it always go up then

Cheers

[icytailmark (Mark)]

what happens to the people that rely on a car to get around and have no other choice?

[Saturn%5 (Graeme)]

Originally Posted by Stardrifter_WA

In Western Australia that is getting harder and harder as the two supermarket chains are consuming all the independent stations. Has anyone else noticed that Coles and Woolworth stations always seem to have the same price. No competition means more costly fuel.

Seems that way down here Peter, but what suprised me was it was and independent.

[AndrewJ]

????? Even if Holland was only 100ks across and your car did like Jens car(see below) it would be well over $13....and btw the major roads in Holland during peak periods are packed and almost at a standstill.http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/..../confused2.gif

I did say it was 1986 ( and it was close to midnight ),
so virtually no traffic ( or little green men in green and white cars ).
Went from Amsterdam to Kiel in a very short time

Hmmm, probably didnt get very good economy on that trip.

Andrew

[Marke (Mark)]

Diesel $1.43 atm

[mithrandir (Andrew)]

Originally Posted by Marke

Diesel $1.43 atm

Where Mark? Diesel cost me $1.56 the other day? Do they have fast-flow?

[pgc hunter]

Originally Posted by AndrewJ

Just heard on the radio that it went up 20c/l overnight in Melb.???
Cant say there isnt something funny going on.
( Ooohhh forgot, Easters coming )
Perhaps all the unemployed property speculators have moved into oil.

Andrew

yup, now $1.59

[Stardrifter_WA]

Originally Posted by Saturn%5

Seems that way down here Peter, but what suprised me was it was and independent.

The independent station near me is, consistently, 3-4c cheaper than either Coles or Woolworths. Seems to me they are adding the 4c before the discount, so you are really paying the normal price. Makes me wonder about those that fill up at Coles or Woolworths stations without a discount voucher, whether they are paying too much. I will continue to use the independent, but I am told he is to become another , so called, discount station.

[pgc hunter]

Originally Posted by Stardrifter_WA

The independent station near me is, consistently, 3-4c cheaper than either Coles or Woolworths. Seems to me they are adding the 4c before the discount, so you are really paying the normal price. Makes me wonder about those that fill up at Coles or Woolworths stations without a discount voucher, whether they are paying too much. I will continue to use the independent, but I am told he is to become another , so called, discount station.

Those discount vouchers are a scam. I remember over Christmas Coles was offering 8c a litre discount. Suddenly, petrol cost about 8c more than usual. When the "offer" ended, the price magically fell by a similar amount to around the original price.

[Stardrifter_WA]

Originally Posted by pgc hunter

Those discount vouchers are a scam. I remember over Christmas Coles was offering 8c a litre discount. Suddenly, petrol cost about 8c more than usual. When the "offer" ended, the price magically fell by a similar amount to around the original price.

My point exactly