Talk:Filling station/Archive 1

Filling station experience
My father once went to a filling station in Espoo, Finland, to purchase new sparkplugs to replace faulty ones in his car's engine. It turned out that the staff at the station had never heard of sparkplugs. What is this world coming to? &mdash; J I P | Talk 19:03, 8 October 2005 (UTC)


 * He was in Europe where a large percentage of the population is anti-car. For example, the Green party is actually taken seriously at the national level in many European countries, while in the U.S. it is big news if a Green candidate can even make city council in a small city. I'm not surprised. --Coolcaesar 04:47, 9 October 2005 (UTC)


 * LOL, very funny. Most likely (if Finland is not too diffrent from Norway) it's because working at a filling station is considered a lown status which anyone can do. Making hot dogs is a more important qualification than any knowledge of car mechanics. Fornadan (t) 15:08, 10 October 2005 (UTC)

Removing from GA list
This article has been removed from the good article list for not fulfilling the GA criteria: This might become a very interesting and valuable good or even featured article, but still much work has to be done to improve it. Bravada, talk - 18:26, 17 June 2006 (UTC)
 * 1) It is poorly written and the structure does not present a logical flow
 * 2) It contains no references to reliable sources
 * 3) It is extremely US-centric and does not cover many obvious topics referring to the subject, like the discussion of storing gasoline etc.

Gas prices
"In leftist-leaning countries such as Canada, Britain, and the European Union, gas prices are very high due to higher fuel excise or taxation (in order to fund costly social welfare programs)." - I might disagree with this POV. The article as a whole could do with a review? Palnu 07:39, 7 Feb 2004 (UTC)

In the context of first world politics, they are left wing. Not saying anything about the quote, except that it's factually accurate. Not saying it belongs here, but...Meelar 07:50, 7 Feb 2004 (UTC)

I'm still not too sure that the section as a whole is accurate. Aside from the political statement, I don't believe the reason for higher fuel prices is 'social welfare programs'. As a UK citizen, I would call it a 'stealth tax to allow lower income tax'. There doesn't seem to any evidence of a link to any particular spending - unlike tobacco duty, which is linked to health spending here. As a side note, I had to remove 'communist-leaning countries' a while back - I think perhaps someone is trying to make a point of view here. 'Leftist-leaning' is hardly the best way to express it, especially within a non-political article. I certainly agree the whole section needs looking at. High fuel prices is a contentious issue in the UK, so I don't think I am the best person for that (grin) akaDruid 14:45, 18 Feb 2004 (UTC)

-

Also gasoline prices in Canada aren't that much higher than the United States.. http://www.petro-canada.ca/eng/prodserv/fuels/8741.htm

Took out for the purpose of social welfare programs. 1) Gas tax isn't earmarked for social welfare.

Roadrunner 20:08, 3 Sep 2004 (UTC)


 * Where do you live? Prices here, taxes out, are about double the U.S. Trekphiler 05:34, 9 December 2005 (UTC)


 * In Southern Ontario when you remove all taxes the price of gasoline is comparable on a yearly average with the neighbouring jurisdiction in the US. Of course in Canada you do see more swings in prices than in the US.  A 10-15% swing in a price overnight is not uncommon in Canada.  In other areas of Canada further away from refineries, pipelines, or crude supply, (such as Yellowknife) the transportation costs account for a much higher proportion of the price of fuel.  http://www.gasbuddy.com is great to compare US and Canadian Prices.  EJ Erwin http://www.mjervin.com is a more scientific survey of Canadian Gas Prices.  This is the one economists use for data on Canadian Fuel Prices. rasblue 00:07, 18 June 2006 (UTC)

-

I should point out that in Ontario, Canada the gasoline tax is: ((price of fuel wholesale) + $0.10 Federal Gasoline Tax + $0.147 Provincial Gasoline Tax) x 7% GST. This usually works out to about $0.30/L. In the US, gasoline taxes are $0.184/Gallon Federal Tax + $0.07-$0.35/Gallon State Tax, with a few states adding a sales tax. Works out to be about $0.42/Gallon on Average, or about $0.11/L (US). rasblue 00:14, 18 June 2006 (UTC) -

The following text is disingenuous: "some of the major oil-producing countries such as Iran, Iraq, and Venezuela provide subsidized petrol at well below market prices. This practice tends to encourage heavy consumption." Lower prices do encourage consumption, but demand for oil is relatively inelastic. Even if one demonstrates that subsidized oil materially increases consumption, clearly a low tax environment does the same thing. To single out subsidies for comment shows poor reasoning or a hidden agenda.

Prince Edward Island
I should point out that the price of gasoline in PEI is not always the lowest in Canada and the tax structure is the main reason when its lower .Regulation in PEI ,Nova Scotia Quebec and New Brunswick are used to protect the retialer from fuctulation and in the case of Quebec they have a floor price ,they all have no protection for the customer --Pat 22:17, 25 June 2006 (UTC)


 * Don't take this the wrong way but you really should check your spelling before you finalize your edit. rasblue 01:53, 26 June 2006 (UTC)

Types of filling stations makes some strong generalizations
I can't say I agree with the generalizations that this article makes in the "Types of filling stations in the US". This is in regards to the descriptions of the premium-brand stations, and the discount-brand stations. Specifically:


 * They are also much more modern with brighter lighting and are cleaner. For ease and convenience, these stations have fully automated pay-at-the-pump facilities. Premium gas stations tend to be highly visible from highway and freeway exits as they use tall signs to display their logos.

And


 * In some cases, discount brands typically accept cash only and some may accept credit cards (sometimes with an additional surcharge). The customer would have to walk inside the store or up to the window to pay and obtain a receipt later. Many discount stations have few locations and, in some cases, appear outdated (i.e., non-digital readouts on pumps) and rundown. In addition, these discount gas stations are often located well away from the highway and freeway exits; many are obscurely tucked away in commercial and residential neighborhoods.

I've found this to be exactly the opposite in my area (Virginia), with the premium-brand stations being mostly dumpy and run-down, while many discount-brand stations (Sheetz and Liberty in particular) prominently display their prices along major highways, have clean, modern, and better-lit facilities, and consistently offer pay-at-the-pump.

This probably ought to be addressed, but I'm not entirely sure how best to tackle it. Schuminweb 04:11, 14 September 2005 (UTC)
 * Agreed. The original editor seems to be relating personal experience, which probably varies greatly from region to region. --Tysto 21:47, 17 September 2005 (UTC)


 * I think he/she is referring to independent stations (not owned by a major company, no economy of scale or buying power), which have almost disappeared now. They generally have older equipment, but aren't necessarily rundown. Stations that charge extra for credit do so because the credit card companies charge them for it and they don't add it into the price for all customers like other stations. AM/PM also charges for credit, at least around California. As for being well kept, I haven't found any pattern - independent, brand name, high prices, low prices, rural areas, big cities. -- Kjkolb 15:52, 14 October 2005 (UTC)

For Wikepedia I think that we must move away from just a look at the US. This article is much too American in content and I hope to work on that soon (when I have time). I have a bit of expertise in this area...PaddyBriggs 17:45, 14 October 2005 (UTC)

Also, the article claims that "today, few stations advertise full service." I still see full service stations everywhere. I dont know what they based that statement on.--Mattydp1215 03:09, 14 July 2006 (UTC)

Requested move

 * The following discussion is an archived debate of the . Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. No further edits should be made to this section. 

No move Duja ► 17:45, 12 November 2006 (UTC) Filling station → Fueling station — "Fueling" is less local slang/cutural-specific and better describes the topic Jason McHuff 22:45, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

Survey

 * ''Add  * Support   or   * Oppose   on a new line followed by a brief explanation, then sign your opinion using ~.


 * Oppose. Fuelling station sounds strange to me. --Lysytalk 21:12, 7 November 2006 (UTC)
 * Oppose per common name rule. ~ trialsanderrors 20:05, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

Discussion

 * ''Add any additional comments:

Google results: 1,290,000 for "filling station" 315,000 for "fueling station"

--Wirbelwind ヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 23:38, 6 November 2006 (UTC)
 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.

Reinstatement of pricing section
After noticing that a couple of photos had gone missing, I found that back in January the large section called "Price at the pump" was deleted by user:Stephen Parnell without discussion and without moving it to a more appropriate article (There is an article on gasoline usage and pricing, but it contains none of the deleted material.). I'm sure this was a good faith edit, and I have no problem with his assertion that this article is better off without a long discourse on pricing, but the section was substantive and had been there for many months without objection. I think there should be some discussion about its value and a decision on which article is more appropriate for it. --Tysto 17:05, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

mini vs full service?
Can someone explain the difference? This distinction seems as outdated as the concept that someone is going to check your oil while they fill your tank. In NJ, the mandatory service involves the attendant pumping your gas and oftentimes cleaning your windshield and back window. How much "fuller" does service need to be to be considered "full"? —lensovet–talk – 23:51, 22 May 2007 (UTC)

Historical names and combinations of companies
There have been numerous combinations and renamings of companies over recent years. Should this be referenced in this article, or perhaps as part of a different article?Paulmeisel 13:03, 19 September 2006 (UTC)


 * I guess under a different article to keep things clean-cut--leopheard 10:23, 13 March 2007 (UTC)

I believe it is covered under Standard Oil, since they all started out there, and are merging back there again. :) CodeCarpenter 20:41, 24 May 2007 (UTC)

Reads like it was written by Oil executives.
Every problem with prices blamed on taxes, says small stations are out of date, obscure, and unclean, while giving a link to Shell in the external links. Finally, makes it clear that high prices are not the fault of the owners, etc. I am surprised this article is even a former good article. It definitely needs work. More work than I can do alone. :) CodeCarpenter 20:46, 24 May 2007 (UTC)

Premium vs Discount Brands
Why is Valero listed both as a Premium Brand and as a Discount Brand? Mrwhizzard 20:13, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

Pricing questions
It would be interesting to see a discussion these additional topics:

1. How in the US retail per-gallon prices are universally expressed in cents plus hundreds of cents. How did this get started? Why does it persist, as a lone example of pricing weirdness?

2. How filling station owners set the price of gasoline daily. Specifically, (a) what inputs are they using to tell them that overnight (or in the middle of the day) the retail price of gasoline should/could move up? Clearly, in changing prices they are often responding to events far beyond the local market for gasoline, e.g., you'll hear that gas prices rose on a given day because of "concerns" about potential supply disruptions in the Middle East. OK, but how does my local gas station owner know how to react to that, by raising the price three cents, say, versus ten cents? Do the oil wholesalers, for instance, supply price data down to the local level? (b) If gas station owners are buying gasoline in large quantities (think of the big tankers) at wholesale, do they ever lose money because they paid $X/gal expecting to sell for $X-plus-something/gal when subsequent supply/demand dynamics push the retail price down to $X-MINUS/gal? Or do they have ways of protecting themselves against this sort of thing? This seems like a huge risk. McTavidge 18:09, 10 August 2007 (UTC)


 * Although I'm a couple of months late, I can answer your second question, having worked part-time for a number of years at a gas station. Those small daily increases and decreases in price have nothing to do with things going on around the world.  They are simply adjusting the prices to remain competitive with stations nearby, since they are competing for the same customers.  As part of my job, I occasionally was assigned the task of driving around and checking the competitors prices.  As for the second part of your question, the station I worked for never sold gas below wholesale price (that I know of), even when the competitor closest to us was 10 cents cheaper.  I can remember one instance when the owner was displeased that the gas price was placed below the wholesale price and ordered it up so that it at least made some profit.  These are just my own observations, and I'm not sure if it's done different elsewhere.--Boznia 16:26, 5 October 2007 (UTC)

New Jersey and Oregon
Woa. So they think that people are so stupid that they'll start everything on fire if they are allowed to fill up their own cars? But they can drive, right? Isn't that much more dangerous? It doesn't make any sense to me at all.


 * Yeah. That's what happens when the people who work at gas stations have really, really good lobbyists (and don't care that their behavior is economically inefficient for everyone else).  Unfortunately, that's the way democracy works.  --Coolcaesar 06:36, 4 March 2006 (UTC)


 * It's also because people take it upon themselves to fill up their cans on the back of their trucks. The vehicles can pick up a great deal of static charge during a journey, so along comes Buck, sticks in the metal pump into his metal can and starts the fuel. Next thing you know, the static has discharged and Buck's on fire, flambeed like Quang Duc. I'm sure that's part of the reason! —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Leopheard (talk • contribs) 10:27, 13 March 2007 (UTC).


 * My favorite is the Arco gas stations in Oregon. They make you go inside and pay for your fuel but will literally push you away from the pump nozzle if you dare touch it.  rasblue 02:31, 18 May 2006 (UTC)


 * In Oregon they call the "full" service mini-serve. It is full service with only them pumping the fuel.  No tire check or windshield (windscreen) cleaning. rasblue 02:31, 18 May 2006 (UTC)


 * Even with full service I have noticed that gasoline is cheaper in NJ than in NY or CT both of which have self serve. I believe the idea behind mandatory full service was to ensure that a station was manned at all times (reduces crime) and for senior citizens and disabled folks.  Bottom line, when driving from RI to NJ I always fill up in NJ.  Don't have to pump it myself and cheaper.  Good deal. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 205.67.218.30 (talk) 19:41, 31 January 2007 (UTC).

About the supposed cost savings in Oregon (comparing fuel prices between stations in Portland and Vancouver, WA), it is a misnomer to assume that the reason for lower fuel prices in Oregon is related to the mini service law, it is in fact linked to Washington having a gas tax that is ten to fifteen cents higher than Oregon. Prior to the nickel gas tax increase in 2003, and the nine attitional cents added between 2005 and present, fuel in Washington was ten to fifteen cents cheaper than Oregon (between most expensive in the Vancouver area, and the cheapest in the Portland area) this needs to be addressed in the article. TEG 13:27, 29 March 2007 (UTC)


 * Yet another example of how Stephen Colbert's writing team uses wikipedia as a source. They did a whole bit about how New Jersey people didn't know how to pump gas.  They didn't mention Oregon though. CodeCarpenter 20:39, 24 May 2007 (UTC)

I am surprised that this section did not mention the interest of Labor Unions in self-service. I do not know about Oregon, but New Jersey is something of a Union stronghold. The effect, whether intended or not, is more labor jobs in New Jersey. Can anyone confirm, are these Unionized workers? Have the Unions openly supported these laws and openly sought to suppress attempts to overturn these laws? The lobbyist mentioned, are these in fact Union lobbyists? Have Unions tried to have these laws passed in other states? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 170.69.248.21 (talk) 19:36, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Independent gas stations
What about independent gas stations ?. --Mac (talk) 07:57, 20 June 2008 (UTC)

First price of gas in the US
When gas was first sold at the city pharmacy in Wiesloch, how much did it cost? 20.137.18.50 (talk) 16:01, 20 June 2008 (UTC)

Gasoline prices in North America
Does anyone else who reads this article sense that it is pushing a specific POV? Namely, a defense of the average gas station manager? The factoid that gas stations have no control over the price of gasoline is repeated on every television news broadcast whenever prices go up; & being nothing more than the end supplier of this commodity, a moment's reflection would lead to the conclusion that blaming gas stations for gas prices is as useful as ranting at the average cashier in any department store.

Unless someone protests, I'm removing these apologetic passages in a week's time. The oil companies have enough money to pay for their PR; Wikipedia doesn't need to help them for free. -- llywrch 00:51, 10 May 2005 (UTC)


 * OK, I protest. Station owners don't set prices, they take what the wholesaler gives them, who takes what the refiner gives them...which is why Canadian gas prices, taxes out, are double what they are in the U.S.: three refiners control about 90% of Canadian gas. Trekphiler 05:37, 9 December 2005 (UTC)


 * The above is patently not true. If you compare the gasoline prices of two US/Can border communities  where both communities do not impose special fuel requirements, and remove all taxes, at the pump, and at wholesale, the prices are about the same +/- 5%.  Go to http://www.gasbuddy.com and compare.  I'm not a shill, just an economist not employed in the energy or public sectors. rasblue 02:51, 18 May 2006 (UTC)
 * I think that can be explained by competition. Just as Standard Oil would lower their prices where there was competition, border stations know they have to compete, and their prices reflect that.  Once you move away from the border, you see an increase where the competition has been eliminated.  CodeCarpenter 20:31, 24 May 2007 (UTC)

My father owned three gasoline stations in Texas and I know that he set the gas prices at all the stations he owned. While he was not able to dictate the price at which the distributor sold gasoline to him, that is not what we are talking about here either. Also, the local manager of a company owned station probably does not have the authority to set prices either but the owner, i.e. the company, does.

During the recent gasoline price decreases in San Antonio there were areas where the price of gasoline would vary by upwards of $0.40/gallon from one neighborhood to another. This makes me question claims that owners only make $0.07/gallon and the like. If that were true then it would mean that some stations were selling at a loss of $0.33/gallon. I can't imagine stations willfully selling at any loss, much less $0.33/gallon.

Probably there are countries where gasoline prices are set by law or something and retailers truly have no control, but to make such a blanket statement for all gasoline retailers seems to be based either on ignorance or something worse. I just do not see how it could be "good faith". —Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.139.234.3 (talk) 04:29, 5 February 2009 (UTC)

Contradiction
There's a contradiction in the number of filling stations worldwide section, stating that the number of petrol/filling stations in China has declined to 30,000 and, afterwards, is said to be rising.

Can whoever was involved in data research for that section please have a look at that?

Rgds The Z UKB G (talk)   15:39, 31 October 2009 (UTC)

Removed image gallery
I just removed an image gallery at the bottom of this article, in accordance with Image use policy. The gallery contained the following images, with captions. If any of them are important to this article, feel free to replace them in the appropriate place in the article, but please avoid an arbitrary "gallery" section. Keep in mind that this article already contains a link to the petrol stations category on the Commons. —Bkell (talk) 09:39, 31 January 2010 (UTC)


 * This is one case where a more careful edit needs to be done. The images in the "gallery" were originally scattered throughout the article. The volume of images in the article was causing formatting issues. Therefore, I moved several, random selection, to the bottom. No editorial judgements were involved in this move. I leave it to those with a more discerning eye to decide which should stay or go.
 * The random nature of the move, makes this particular "gallery" a bad fit for use of the image gallery rule. It isn't really a gallery, it is almost like a set of visual footnotes. it is not appropriate to remove these particular images without first ascertaining which are important to the article and which are not. I'm going to revert this edit.
 * If you want to remove the gallery, be my guest, but please review the original context of these images first, and be discerning in their removal. Dovid (talk) 04:36, 25 February 2010 (UTC)


 * I did try to ascertain which are important to the article, and I decided that these were not, because they are isolated at the bottom of the page and seem to have no connection to anything else. The gallery isn't a "set of visual footnotes," because there is no reference to the main text. The section heading for the gallery is just "Additional images," and the explanatory text is, "The following images illustrate specific elements of the article text. Due to space constraints, they did not fit alongside the text of the article"—but there is no reference to which specific elements of the article text are being illustrated.
 * The captions to all of these images just say "This is an OilCorp gas station in Placeville, Somewhereland." It seems as though these are just random photos of arbitrary gas stations. The only exception is the photo that says, "Note the different corporate signage," which originally referred to a preceding image in the text; but all that this seems to illustrate is the fact that different gas stations sometimes have different shapes of signs. I really don't understand how these images provide a different kind of information than the 10 or so photos with captions saying "This is a gas station" that remain in the main text.
 * Any "original context" for these images was lost when they were clumped together into a gallery at the bottom of the page. (For the record, the version just before the images were moved into the gallery is oldid 337497339.) If you felt that it was an improvement to the article to sever the connection between these images and the main text, then I don't see why you object to their removal altogether.
 * I think we both agree that the article previously had too many images in the main text. Your solution was to move some of them to the bottom of the page, hoping that another editor would come along, make proper "editorial judgements," and delete them or put them back somewhere in the text. (You say that the images were selected randomly, but I think you did a good job nonetheless, because none of these images seems more notable or illustrative than the images you kept in the text.) Later, I came along, made the editorial judgement that none of these images illustrated anything that wasn't already illustrated several times, and deleted them. Citing the gallery guideline was a quick way for me to explain my actions: the images weren't adding anything to the article, they seemed to be arbitrary photos of unimportant gas stations, and Wikipedia discourages galleries of images that don't add anything.
 * I don't know why you believe that I did not exercise "editorial judgement" when I removed the gallery. Perhaps I should have differently phrased my sentence "If any of them are important to this article, feel free to replace them in the appropriate place in the article"—what I meant was, "I don't think any of these images are important, but if I missed something and you have a good reason to disagree, you can put it back in the main text with an explanation of why it's meaningful." —Bkell (talk) 05:38, 25 February 2010 (UTC)

Reference for ban of mobile phones on forecourts
In answer to when and where, every fililng station in the UK at all times. The only reference I could find was this:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/click_online/3986509.stm

Does that count? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 63.251.108.100 (talk) 23:26, 20 July 2010 (UTC)

And 9/10's of a cent...
There needs to be an explanation somewhere for why US gas stations always price their fuel as having an extra $0.009 added to the price of the fuel. Most gas stations include a small fixed number 9 next to the big digits on their gas price display signs. What is the significance of doing this and how long has it been happening? DMahalko (talk) 16:10, 1 November 2010 (UTC)

Non-self-service
Do any petrol stations remain in the UK that are not self-service? If so they must be very rare. It would be interesting to hear about elsewhere in the world. I ask because the article gas jockey (which needs work, by the way) says that there are some in the USA where someone will still fill up your car for you. The "types of service" section in this article could be made more useful by including information about the prevalence of different service levels in different parts of the world, if anyone has information on this. Beorhtwulf (talk) 21:12, 28 February 2011 (UTC)

POV?
This seems to have a very strong U.S. bias, with almost no coverage elsewhere. For 1 instance, the first filling station was in Bordeaux 1895. And Canadians call 'em gasbars. Trekphiler 05:34, 9 December 2005 (UTC)


 * Only in some parts of Canada are they called Gasbars, and that term is somewhat antiquated and leaving common usage as the older pre WW2 generation passes away. Similar to how in Western Canada a parking garage (term used in Central Canada) is called a parkade (derived from arcade). rasblue 02:28, 18 May 2006 (UTC)

I agree about the POV issues on this article and flagged it. It's subtle, but there is a strnge undertone to the writing of this article. It is U.S.-centric, it seems to take political stands about gasoline taxes and pricing, it makes judgment calls about the qulity of various brands, and just overall has a kind of marketing piece feel. I think someone put a lot of work into it, and it could be a good article, but it needs a lot more work to get there. --Robb0995 20:54, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

Well technically the first gas station was in Wiesloch Germany, although not in the modern sense: The city pharmacy in Wiesloch was the first petrol station of the world, because Bertha Benz stopped here on august 5 1888 on her maiden voyage to refill the tank of the first automobile her husband, Karl Benz, invented.--Tresckow 06:39, 11 August 2007 (UTC)

So, it means they call them filling stations and petrol stations in the UK and service stations and gas stations in the US. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 46.147.146.115 (talk) 15:19, 2 January 2013 (UTC)

Image
Can following image be added to the article ? 81.247.148.232 (talk) 12:14, 16 March 2013 (UTC)


 * No, because it doesn't illustrate any of the concepts in the article. --Carnildo (talk) 22:45, 18 March 2013 (UTC)


 * Dear KVDP – why are you able to log into Commons when uploading your articles, but you seemingly log out when adding them to WP articles? This looks very suspicious, as if you're promoting your own (very poor) images, in a way that is exactly the sort of behaviour specifically forbidden under WP:SOCK. Andy Dingley (talk) 10:39, 21 March 2013 (UTC)


 * Raised at Sockpuppet_investigations/KVDP Andy Dingley (talk) 11:47, 21 March 2013 (UTC)

Use of mobile phones at petrol pump
Sainsbury's recognise that mobile phones are not a danger when used whilst dispensing fuel, but they have told me that the reason they don't allow phones to be used is to prevent people being distracted, and in the event that the phone is dropped, the battery can cause a spark. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.132.80.101 (talk) 11:20, 4 August 2013 (UTC)

First paragraph
The first paragraph makes mention of electric vehicles "With the advent of electric cars and rechargeable battery operated cars, 'gas stations' or 'filling stations' will soon offer charging docks for these cars. In fact, certain stations in the United States already offer these services" in a way that suggests all stations will someday offer this service. Isn't it a little suggestive/subjective to make that mention? I mean, electric vehicles are still a very conceptual vehicle which will take years to bear fruit. --  Z blewski  |talk   14:01, 15 April 2009 (UTC)


 * Electrically powered vehicles are available to be bought right now. H Padleckas (talk) 09:37, 17 May 2014 (UTC)
 * Are there electric filling stations though? Electric filling has a few differences from petrol: it's slower, a 'pump' is simpler and there's no fire hazard. The implication of this is that electric charging will become something offered as park of a parking spot, not as a separate filling station that is visited. We might see filling stations for hydrogen fill or battery swapping, but not for plug-in charging. Andy Dingley (talk) 10:06, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

UK English: Pull into a Services for petrol
Apparently, another name for this in British English is a "Services". I've heard it described like this in an official UK government road safety video (the "THINK" series), but wow is it hard finding references to this name in print, since the word itself is so generic. -- DMahalko (talk) 19:11, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

Services is a shortening of "Service Station" 205.177.176.242 (talk) 16:12, 15 July 2014 (UTC)

I always thoughts 'services' referred to the rest stops along a motorway that contain petrol stations but also shops, cafes and restaurants. Services doesn't only refer to the petrol station.

External links modified
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Mobile phone dangers
In the section, "Legislation", para 3, there appears to be a nonsensical sudden switch from discussion of fuelling by pumps to fuelling from gas cans, concerning static electrical issues. (Sentence beginning:"The problem with ungrounded gas cans ...")

Please would someone knowledgeable sort this out ? Thanks. Darkman101 (talk) 01:30, 18 May 2016 (UTC)

List of historic filling stations
Please watch, help develop List of historic filling stations, which was proposed and is under some development already at Wikipedia talk:WikiProject National Register of Historic Places. --Doncram (talk) 03:00, 14 July 2018 (UTC)

Coffee, Loyalty program, Block of flats

 * In many European countries the stations sell coffee. BP has Wild Bean Cafes in Europe but in NZ too.Xx236 (talk) 11:38, 18 July 2018 (UTC)
 * Many networks maintain Loyalty programs (also Rewards). Xx236 (talk) 11:28, 18 July 2018 (UTC)
 * All pictures show stations as separated buildings. Some stations are situated however in a block of flats File:20160520 014 thessaloniki.jpg, thumb. Maybe there is a better picture.Xx236 (talk) 12:51, 18 July 2018 (UTC)

File:Sandakan Sabah Shell-Station-Labuk Road-01.jpg to appear as POTD soon
Hello! This is a note to let the editors of this article know that File:Sandakan Sabah Shell-Station-Labuk Road-01.jpg will be appearing as picture of the day on August 14, 2018. You can view and edit the POTD blurb at Template:POTD/2018-08-14. If this article needs any attention or maintenance, it would be preferable if that could be done before its appearance on the Main Page. — Chris Woodrich (talk) 02:01, 4 August 2018 (UTC)

Article name?
"Filling station" is a pretty minor term I rarely hear used; wouldn't "petrol station" (reflecting "petrol" being the official entry name for fuel), or even "gas station" (the usual term used in the United States and, I presume, also Canada) be a better name for this article, in light of those probably being the most frequently used terms for such a facility? The fact that the terms "filling station," "gas station" and "petrol station" get used interchangeably through the article might support such a name change. Anthony Dean 15:50, May 30, 2005 (UTC)
 * Filling station is probably used to prevent disputes over whether it should be gas station or petrol station, which was the case with the gasoline article whenever somebody moved it to petrol. Filling station also seems to be useable in all dialects. --User:Evice User talk:Evice Special:Contributions/Evice 17:05, July 19, 2005 (UTC)
 * I forgot to mention that the current name was probably inspired by this section of the Manual of Style. --User:Evice User talk:Evice Special:Contributions/Evice 17:12, July 19, 2005 (UTC)
 * No one uses the term filling station or petrol station in the United States. We use the term gas station. I was initially confused when I ended up on the disambiguation page for service station. The term gas station needs to be added to the title of the filling station page. – Down time (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 14:17, 10 March 2018 (UTC)

I disagree in the UK and most of the commonwealth we never use the term gas station as petrol is a liquid we would of course say petrol station. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.96.14.189 (talk) 11:15, 14 August 2018 (UTC)

Filling station?
Just wondering where they are called that? Every other name used in the article lists where they are used but not the actual term "filling station". As an Australian I'd never heard the term. 211.27.219.230 (talk) 11:20, 20 April 2017 (UTC)

I am British and I have never heard of the term either. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.96.14.189 (talk) 11:17, 14 August 2018 (UTC)

Minimum age to fill a car?
Was once on a holiday in Scotland with my parents, and as I was filling up the rental car (I was 14 at the time), a gas station attendent came running out with a horrified look on his face. He shouted something like "you can't fill up that car, you have to be 16 years old!". It was very strange. Davez621 14:43, 11 April 2006 (UTC)


 * From Buckinghamshire County Council: "Petrol must not be sold to a person under 16. It is also an offence for a person under 16, to sell petrol and a person under 18 must not be left in charge of a petrol station." I found an unverified reference elsewhere that it was the Petroleum (Consolidation) Act 1928 that brought in this requirement, though I expect that's been amended by more recent legislation by now. Loganberry (Talk) 01:48, 29 September 2006 (UTC)


 * I wasn't the one purchasing the petrol though. I was simply filling it up for my parents who were sitting in the car.Davez621 12:59, 14 October 2006 (UTC)


 * It's illegal for anyone under 16 to use petrol pumps in order to dispense petrol, at least in the UK. This is marked on each pump. I worry for wherever you come from if they let under 16s play with petrol. Rapido 00:01, 1 February 2007 (UTC)


 * I can't speak for the original author, but here in the US (Florida), at least when I was a kid, I could buy gas whenever I wanted. How do you figure kids mow lawns for extra cash in the summer?  CodeCarpenter 20:36, 24 May 2007 (UTC)


 * You use petrol (gas) powered lawnmowers? Skittle 19:44, 8 August 2007 (UTC)


 * I was using an old Victa of my grandfather's to mow the back & front yards of my dad's place back around '98 or '99 when I was 10 or 11 (the thing still works too). Also, the engines used on lawn mowers here tend to be great for go-karts, for ease of use and control. El Nero Diablo (talk) 02:28, 24 July 2010 (UTC)

The age is set to 16 as this is the minimum age someone can use a motor vehicle (50cc moped) people under 16 really shouldnt be buying petrol. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.96.14.189 (talk) 11:18, 14 August 2018 (UTC)

DIY Electric filling station
These can be mentioned, one particular project by Miguel Martín Ballbé can be mentioned, see http://www.elektor.com/magazines/2010/may/low-cost-electric-vehicle-charge-station.1322025.lynkx —Preceding unsigned comment added by 91.182.45.110 (talk) 09:03, 11 October 2010 (UTC)


 * The introduction's sentence "...which like most other buildings generally have electricity sockets; hence, in some cases, plug-in electric vehicles can be recharged" is essentially UNTRUE in the US; I don't know whether it's actually true anywhere else in the world. In N America, the typical electrical outlet in a shop (or home) supplies 110 volts at a maximum capacity of 15 or 20 amperes, which is insufficient for charging a typical electric car within a reasonable amount of time.  Typical electric-car charging devices in the US require, from the building's electrical system, 220 volts with a 30-to-40 ampere capacity.  (I myself do not know, but I can conceive that in parts of the world where the standard electric outlet is 220-volt instead of 110-volt, perhaps some filling sations allow electric cars to be directly charged off of a regular outlet.)


 * Therefore, I hope that someone, more knowledgable than I, will either delete this sentence or else replace it, include one or more relevant citations. (I myself just added the placeholder phrase ", in some cases,". Acwilson9 (talk) 05:17, 5 February 2020 (UTC)


 * In the US, for electric-car users, some shopping-mall parking lots and other store parking lots provide charging "stations" at selected parking spaces, some requiring a metered fee and others for free. This could be researched and discussed, WITH CITATIONS, in a new section of this article. Acwilson9 (talk) 05:17, 5 February 2020 (UTC)

Lead image
I'm going to change the lead image. Per MOS:LEADELEMENTS, "It is also common for the lead image to be representative because it provides a visual association for the topic, and allow readers to quickly assess if they have arrived at the right page." For this purpose we want an immediately recognizable modern filling station, not a museum piece that is unfamiliar to most of our readers. GA-RT-22 (talk) 17:38, 25 May 2021 (UTC)

“Gasoline” used for consistency
I took the liberty of changing most occurrences of the word petrol to gasoline. As it stood each term was basically used according to the English‐speaking region being discussed, but policy calls for consistency throughout the article. I have no strong feelings either way but gas station and American spellings seemed to predominate at the time of edit. —Wiki Wikardo 03:43, 14 June 2021 (UTC)
 * Thanks for cleaning up and moving that long list of bolded alternate names in the lead. GA-RT-22 (talk) 13:40, 14 June 2021 (UTC)