ABU DHABI // With just a couple of hours to go before the country’s petrol prices increased by 24 per cent on Saturday, Adnoc superintendent Karna Bista expected long lines at his Airport Road station.
“I hoped there would be a long queue but no, it didn’t happen,” said Mr Bista, noting business only went up about 15 per cent before he changed the prices.
As customers were filling up in the afternoon, they questioned the new prices.
“Some people are shocked because previously they were paying Dh80 or Dh85 but this price is Dh100 or Dh105,” said Mr Bista.
Lucia He, a 38-year-old Chinese woman driving a Toyota Fortuner, was among those asking about her increased bill at the pump.
“It’s too much” said Ms He, adding that she would begin turning off the air conditioner to save on fuel. “Why did they increase by 24 per cent? It fell in America, why is it increasing here?
“I think they can make the increase but gradually not 24 per cent right away. It’s too much.”
Sagral Hajri, a 27-year-old Emirati, was thankful he had the foresight to purchase a Mini Cooper, which is economical on fuel. “To me, it doesn’t make much of a difference but to the guys that have a big car – like Land Cruisers – it’s going to be a big difference,” said Mr Hajri.
A N, an Emirati who topped up his BMW X5, said the price difference would not affect him personally and would benefit the country.
Lower and middle-income families would be the ones taking a hit, he said.
“For me, it doesn’t matter, Dh500 more a month or Dh1,000, it doesn’t matter, but I look at it as a business owner and the people who work for me are going to ask for more money,” said A N.
“They are going to ask for more money and I’m going to have to think about that.”
Sam Constantini, a 28-year-old Canadian, was concerned that the increase in petrol would have a domino effect on the cost of other things. “I hope it doesn’t increase everything else with it – like food prices, taxis, schools and bus transportation,” said Mr Constantini.
“Rent is already up and food was increasing a little bit, now we are just thinking will that increase everything else?
“Will our salaries increase to compensate or will they stay the same and we’re just going to pay the price from our pockets? ”
The reaction to the price increase was similar at the Eppco petrol station in Tecom, Dubai.
Greens resident Bharat Grover, covers about 450 kilometres a week in his job with the Eurostar Group at Business Bay,
“I’ve got a 60-litre tank in my BMW 3 series and it used to cost about Dh100 to fill up, now it is considerably more,” he said. “I knew the increase was coming but I didn’t read about it in detail. I was shocked by how much it had gone up and wish I had filled up the day before.
“Over the course of the year it is going to add up.”
Jonathon Pieters, who lives at The Springs but works in Sharjah, was bracing himself for the impact. “I’m a self-employed consultant so I have to cover my own costs for travel,” he said.
“I have already considered buying a smaller car. This is the first time I have filled up with the new prices and it has cost an extra Dh50.”
Road safety experts have taken the opportunity to remind drivers that how they drive could help reduce the price they are paying for petrol.
“With UAE’s fuel prices increasing, now is the perfect time for motorists to reflect on the link between fuel consumption and driving behaviour because besides the choice of vehicle, our driving style plays a vital role in fuel consumption,” said Thomas Edelmann, founder and managing director of RoadSafety UAE.
“A smooth driving style saves much more petrol versus an aggressive one, like engine revving, sharp acceleration and sharp breaking patterns.”
Mr Edelmann added that running engines unnecessarily and running new technologies also hit fuel consumption.
His group’s top tips to reduce fuel consumption – avoid speeding and unnecessary revving up, adopt a smooth and defensive driving style and get your vehicle regularly maintained.
nwebster@thenational.ae
rpennington@thenational.ae
