Gas stations on wheels: how gasoline delivery services work in Samara and what awaits them | 04/27/2024 | Samara

Residents of Samara noticed gas stations on wheels on the streets of the city. Mobile gas stations supply fuel to motorists anywhere, be it a residential yard or a highway. On the one hand, it is very convenient. But experts say that the uncontrolled development of such a service could lead to an emergency. Details in the Volga News article.

Photo: “LiderGroup”

The idea of ​​organizing mobile gas stations is not new. Something similar happened in the Soviet years, in the 1990s. As experienced motorists say, they worked on the basis of trucks and, as a rule, stood on certain roads, highways, and bus stops. In Moscow, such fuel tankers were banned in the 1990s, calling them dangerous. With the development of gas station networks, they gradually disappeared in the provinces.

However, about five to seven years ago, in some regions of Russia, mobile gas stations began to appear again, but in a different format. Probably the reason was the widespread distribution of delivery services for various goods. Simply put, people are used to having almost everything delivered right to their door.

Mobile gas stations appeared in Samara about a year ago. And for some companies this became a certain stage in the development of the business of delivering fuel to legal entities.

“Initially, we had a B2B service, that is, business to business. My partners have small private gas stations. There was a demand from construction companies for the delivery of diesel fuel for special equipment. We organized it using specially equipped UAZs, registered under DOPOK, for transportation dangerous goods, we subsequently decided to provide a service for the delivery of gasoline to individuals – for cars and watercraft,” a company representative said.LeaderGroup“.

ADR (road transport of dangerous goods) is an international agreement regulating the requirements for the transport of dangerous goods across European countries using special road transport. In Russia, transportation of this type of cargo is carried out in accordance with POGAT (Rules for the transportation of dangerous goods by road)

Externally, mobile gas stations in Samara and other regions of the country differ little. As a rule, cars with a large square trunk, popularly called a “heel,” are used to transport gasoline. Basically this is a Lada Largus. The necessary equipment is placed in the trunk.

“Fuel dispensers and fuel pumps for fuel trucks are used in an explosion-proof design. Guns and hoses are from conventional stationary fuel dispensers. The equipment has the necessary certificates of conformity, undergoes annual verification and is sealed for the correct calculation of dispensed liters. But since a small volume of fuel is transported, 200-250 liters, a special permit under DOPOK, POGAT is not required. The car arrives at a stationary gas station, fills the fuel tank with gasoline and delivers it to the customer anywhere, be it a yard or a highway. Payment is made through a cash terminal with a connected acquiring system for accepting payments by bank cards,” the representative explained. service.

According to him, the prospects for the development of such services in Samara are still difficult to assess. There is demand, but small – only a few orders per day:

“For now we can afford to work with negative margins, we keep the price tag low in order to attract clients and earn a reputation. But the workload is not such that we should bet on this segment of the business.”

Experts also doubt the economic feasibility of developing gasoline delivery services. In addition, there are questions about ensuring the safety of such stations.

“I think this is simply irrelevant for an ordinary motorist. Now in Samara there are so many stationary gas stations – on almost every kilometer. And on the highways too. Rather, such services are more in demand among various enterprises,” says Oleg Martin, an auto expert and honorary member of the All-Russian Society of Motorists. – But there is a second point: in many regions they have already begun to tighten the screws and restore order in the operation of mobile gas stations, since it turned out that many of them were operating in violation of fire, sanitary, and environmental standards. That is, they were unsafe. that cars are refueled both in the courtyards of residential buildings and in parking lots near shopping centers, this is fraught, God forbid, a spark will ignite everything!.. What if there is an explosion? Of course, the activities of such gas stations need to be strictly regulated and controlled.”

Volga News contacted the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Samara Region for comment. Representatives of the department explained that separate rules for the sale of fuel outside stationary gas stations have not yet been adopted in Russia, but they want to correct this.

“The State Commission for Combating Illegal Traffic in Industrial Products, chaired by the head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation Denis Manturov, considered the issue of changing federal regulations that regulate the sale of gasoline through mobile and container gas stations. It was proposed to identify special places for dispensing fuel. They also want to include in the documents the issues of re-equipping vehicles , as well as ensuring security. After changes are made to federal legislation, regions need to establish administrative responsibility for the illegal trade in motor fuel through mobile gas stations,” the ministry told Volga News.

Alexandra Lamzina