 Ms Tune says she is saving a lot by cycling and not driving. |
Record fuel prices are forcing drivers to think long and hard over how to cut their travelling bills. For many, without access to regular public transport, the car is their only option. A recent study, commissioned by What Car? magazine, has suggested drivers could save up to �500 a year by driving more slowly and burning less fuel. But with the average price of petrol now at �1.17 a litre and diesel at �1.30 - around 20% higher than a year ago - some are turning to more drastic measures. Independently owned garages have seen a dramatic rise in the number of "drive-offs", according to the Federation of Petrol Suppliers.  |
 The cost of fuel is making people think about their journey habits, we can't really account for a big take-up in season tickets in any other way
Huw Lewis, Metro rail network spokesman
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Mark Bradshaw, spokesman for the forecourt division, said over the last 12 months there had been a 20% increase in incidents of motorists leaving without paying. The organisation is a lobbying group which represents 6,300 filling stations across the UK. "With the price as it is, it's not surprising," Mr Bradshaw told BBC News. "The biggest problem for our members, which are the independents, is that they (thieves) are going to go for the smaller garages and the isolated ones which don't have the level of security of the bigger places like the supermarkets." But the unstable nature of the market means it is hard to judge what long term impact the rises are having on law-abiding motorists, he said. Panic buying Many drivers are now buying less fuel at each visit in a bid to save money, according to the group. "People probably can't afford to fill their cars completely. We're seeing customers coming more often but spending less." Other filling stations have reported panic buying because of fears over possible fuel shortages, Mr Bradshaw said. The claims come as more than 600 tanker drivers, who work for two companies delivering fuel to Shell forecourts, begin a four-day strike over pay.  The Tyne and Wear Metro has seen a "surge" in season ticket sales. |
Shell said it had contingency plans in place but admitted some of its 1,000 petrol stations might run out of fuel. The Department for Transport said it was too early to tell if this year's high prices at the pumps were leading to fewer cars on the road. But a spokeswoman said: "In 2000 (the year of the oil refinery protests), there was a noticeable change in people using their vehicles." The National Road Traffic Survey attributed that year's fuel crisis for the first drop in car use ever recorded by the yearly study. Could the current high prices and industrial action lead to a similar reduction in traffic? Some evidence suggests it could. A survey of 17,500 AA members carried out two months ago found that more than a third had made a conscious decision to start leaving their cars at home. A spokesman said the motoring group was planning to repeat the snapshot study to ask if even more now planned to use their vehicles less. Nexus, which runs the Tyne and Wear Metro rail system, said there had been a "surge" in annual season ticket sales since 1 April.  Fuel prices are soaring across the world. |
It came despite a 6.5% price rise on the same day. Nexus spokesman Huw Lewis said: "They (sales) are up by 26% on the same time last year - and there has been no marketing campaign." He said the season-ticket surge was notable, as off-peak travel on the Metro was currently declining. The group has put this down to the general economic slow down. "There's more commuters because it's cheaper to catch the Metro than drive. "The cost of fuel is making people think about their journey habits, we can't really account for a big take-up in season tickets in any other way, there's not really much else that could explain it." Sarah Tune, 24, a transport planner from Shrewsbury, Shropshire, has recently started to commute by bicycle to save money. "For the last couple of years I always used to use my car," she said. "I started commuting on a bike two months ago. "Because I'm looking to move away I'm trying to save. So because of the fuel costs it's saved me a lot more money. "I try to fit in things in my lunch break (on the bicycle) that I used to use my car for, like going to the supermarket."
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