Turnover at Dutch petrol stations has decreased by half since mid-March. Dutch motorists stopped even less often at manned petrol stations, because there visitors dropped by 10 percent more than with unmanned pumps.
That states Tankpro based on figures from fuel card provider MultiTankcard. Since the corona outbreak, gas stations have been generating an average of 52 percent tank turnover. The decline has therefore remained stable, because at the end of March the trade associations Bovag and BETA also spoke of the same percentage decrease.
The biggest decline appears to be behind the new figures. The sharpest decline occurred in the week of March 16-22. That is the week that the government decided to close all catering establishments, schools and other public places. People then listened carefully, because in a week the number of pump transactions fell by an average of 40 percent. In addition, after a week-long decline, a slight increase was noted, because in the week from March 30 to April 5, 3 percent more people refueled their car than a week earlier.
Over the entire period, however, sales have more than halved. The decrease also appears to be greater at manned filling stations than at unmanned pumps. This is probably because motorists want to limit contact with other people, including cashiers at petrol stations. The number of transactions at manned stations decreased by 10 percent faster than at unmanned filling stations. The more favorable fuel price for unmanned pumps can also play a role in this trend.
In addition to a decline in customers, the longer fuel price is also a reason for the drop in turnover. Due to a combination of COVID-19 and the trade war between Saudi Arabia and Russia, the oil price fell enormously. As a result, the Dutch petrol price fell by about 15 percent from an average of € 1.63 per liter to € 1.47. The average price for unmanned pumps is now € 1.44, for manned stations € 1.50. The cheapest pump is in Best: there you pay € 1.35 per liter of petrol.