Ont. gov’t reportedly considering pre-pay policy for gas

[Scarlite]

Ontario politicians are reportedly considering making motorists pay before filling up to prevent so-called gas-and-dash crimes, one of which claimed the life of a Mississauga gas station attendant last month.

Drivers in British Columbia are required to pay before filling their fuel tanks and police chiefs in Alberta are calling for similar action there.

Now the provincial government is reportedly ready to explore the issue. There won't be any movement for a while as the legislature has adjourned and won't sit again until after the Oct. 6 election.

Hashem Atifeh Rad, 62, died after he was hit and dragged by a car after the driver had stolen gas from a Mississauga gas station near Truscott Drive and Southdown Road last month. The married father of two took the job pumping gas less than a year ago.

The driver responsible for Rad’s death is still at large.

Meanwhile, the price of gas dropped four cents Thursday. A litre of regular unleaded is selling for a little over a $1.28.

http://www.citytv.com/toronto/cityn...reportedly-considering-pre-pay-policy-for-gas

There are reports that owners of gas stations make the attendants pay if drivers walk out without paying :shock: :shock: :shock:

 

[~ Floridian``]

Ont. gov

That cannot be right. Like telling a bank clerk to run after the man that robbed you.

 

[Izzah Nadzirah]

Ont. gov

No shit and this wouldn't be the first time I heard about this "rule".......easy way to prevent all this? install fricken cameras that show the licence plate. Hell, security systems now can be had for about $500.00 or less and they are digital quality and record onto a computer in a data compression format.

An entire system including the PC to run it would be under a grand......

 

[Tsunami]

Ont. gov

Not the case on that incident though. The man covered his licence plates but you would figure they had his face on camera but they didn't.

 

[Pompal 09.]

Ont. gov

you get what you pay for and for the costs you are quoting you are talking one decent camera and a card for the PC. No wires installed or expert installation of the device.
An improperly speced or installed camera is a waste of cash.

 

[Julie B]

Ont. gov

Whats the big deal? :roll:

Many gas stations are already doing this here in Canada and they have been doing it in the US for years. Besides, isn't it just so much more convenient to pay at the pump with your CC or debit card anyways? I've been doing that for years.

 

[nsw]

Ont. gov

I always pay with my CC at the pump. Stick it in, pump and go, works for me.

How many people still carry cash with them?

 

[rainbowet95]

Ont. gov

Blah blah blah, I found a perfect system how to get cheap gas. You will need a wingman to pull this off. [video=youtube;1P7oGdbY33M]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1P7oGdbY33M[/video]

 

[ginta]

Ont. gov

Actually, you're not quite accurate there. When I lived in a condo in the city I researched systems and yes, you can pay thousands or you can pay hundreds. The difference in quality isn't as big as you think. The quality of even the cheapest webcam is as good as studio quality 10 yrs ago. I looked at a system for $499 that came with 6 cameras and each frame capture was 540 x 334 and you could zoom in on each frame (via software) and almost read the serial number on the licence plate sticker. You could easily see the month/yr.

Now yes, you're talking a LOT of data, but if I remember correctly, I think it was a week of recording could be burned onto one B/R disc. Now with the new terabyte drives, you could go 6 months without having to burn, but eventually you would.

Plus these cameras can be viewed and saved offsite (meaning the owner could monitor it via the net anytime he wanted).



Normally if you're only buying gas, this isn't an issue but I rarely just buy gas. I get my smokes and other things at the gas station so if I were to pay at the pump, that means 2 transactions per visit and that not only adds time, but cost as well. Plus, who the hell wants to start digging around in your wallet, and pulling your gloves off to punch in on those frozen keypads when it's -50 degrees out? lol....There have been times when it's been so fricken cold I planned on putting 50 bucks in and only put in 10 just to get back in where it's warm......

Now one thing this WOULD prevent is something I was thinking about the other day. I know I was close to the edge financewise and thought: wtf would I do if I put $100 in and only had $80 in the bank (whose debit card I planned on using)????

Repo: that's almost as good as having a trunk monkey!!!!

 

[nene2007]

Ont. gov

Not a big deal but why does the government need to legislate it. Business is the one with the losses so if it gets to a point they think its an issue the ones who don't already will make you pay first. Next they will be forcing you to prepay for groceries - walk in hand them $100 then you can go shop.

 

[Cericoe]

Ont. gov

True.

For the record, I never said it was OK for the government to legislate it. But that is what they do in this nanny state society we have created for ourselves. :roll:

 

[just-another]

Ont. gov

I live in BC and the whining was incredible when it was announced that it was to be brought in here.

Once it was in place, people moved onto other things to complain about.

Most people pay by debit/credit, so pre-pay at the pump is not any different than post-paying.

 

[newtypist]

Ont. gov

^^^^ well, what are they going to do, not buy gas?

As CG said, it isn't so much that it will be a pain but to legislate something just for the sake of legislation? IMO the government is overstepping it's bounds now.

I bet more people are injured apprehending shoplifters than those gas and dashing. What's next? Leaving a $100.00 deposit to get into a store?

I don't know the data on this but how many are killed or injured trying to stop those who gas and dash? I bet it is low as I've only ever heard of ONE in my lifetime.......

For the record, I totally get that it has to be done at night....since the streets are pretty empty at that time.......

 

[Wicked Awsome]

Ont. gov

Not sure how many dead gas station attendents you need, but one of the mitigating factors in putting the pay before in BC is because a gas station attendent was killed and dragged by a car where the driver was taking off without paying.So there you go -- 2 attendents killed by trying to stop drivers who didn\\\'t pay, afaik.
I have to pay for my drivethru meals before they will let me put it in my car, for similar reasons. Sps require payment before play for similar reasons. There are a few deadbeats out there and then there are rules put into place for everyone else just to deal with them.

 

[Pipes]

Ont. gov

I always carry cash when I visit an SP ... Stick it in, pump and go, works for me.

 

[MarMar]

Ont. gov

People die for all sorts of reasons and we don't create laws around every cause of death. If they did that bicycling would be more severely regulated. I mean, they only have to wear a helmet right? There is no legislation on the books that state they can't ride on roads designed for motorized vehicles.....In fact, there are laws that force them into the mix with cars and trucks (no riding on the sidewalk).

As for the drivethrough example. Well, yes, technically you do pay before you get your stuff but also, for the most part, you pay when you get your stuff. Rarely do you pay, and then wait or go to another window to get your food. Now imagine the outcry if you pay at one window, then get out of your car and go to another window to get your stuff.

One thing no one has touched on and it really isn't a big deal, but now everyone will be forced to predetermine how much gas they are going to buy. For eg: my bike. I never known exactly how much gas it will take and I always fill it because it is such a small tank. That means I have to drive up to the pump, go in and give him $20.00, go pump my gas, go back in and get my change, then back to my bike and off I go. This is especially true since the gas prices fluctuate so much.

If the CC companies and banks think about it, they'd be hiring lobbyists to get this bill passed because it is going to force people to either do the double trip to the kiosk, or pay at the pump amounting to huge revenues (more) for the banks.....