How to beat Auckland's regional fuel tax

Sunday, 1 July 2018

Prices at many petrol stations rose overnight.

Aucklanders have officially been hit with the regional fuel tax with petrol already costing an extra 11.5c at some pumps.

In May, Auckland Council voted in favour of bringing it in and it was something Mayor Phil Goff even campaigned for during the city's mayoral elections in 2016.

Goff told Stuff that without it, 'our city would grind to a halt'.

Now in full force, Aucklanders will be looking for savvy ways to get their fuel prices down. So what are the options?

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GASPY

The New Zealand app tells users where the cheapest fuel is in their area through crowd-sourcing.

Users share prices around the country for others to see where the cheapest fuel outlets are. Created by an IT software development company in Tauranga called Hwen, it was launched in 2016.

The app is free to download and offers a gaming aspect where people can get points and prizes.

This week, Gaspy had its biggest spike of users outside of its launch period in the past week.

Larry Green, who runs Gaspy, said: 'There has been a spike in numbers. Yesterday on the same day last year we had 30 new members sign up and yesterday we had over 2000.

'It is great we are a crowd source free app and we encourage people to get on board and work together to reduce costs.'

FUEL UP OUTSIDE OF AUCKLAND

The regional fuel tax boundary runs south of Pukekohe and north of Port Albert. Mobil Mercer, the closest petrol station along State Highway 1 to the south, is not affected by the regional fuel tax.

Aucklanders could also hop off SH1 to fuel up at GAS in Pokeno, which is closer to the city.

Commuters travelling south from north of Auckland could use Caltex Shamrock on SH1, a Mobil on SH12 or two petrol stations in Mangawhai Heads which are the last before the Auckland border kicks in.

SUPERMARKET RECEIPTS

Aucklanders who do their shopping at New World and Pak'n'Save can use their receipts to get discounts on every litre of fuel.

All Pak'n'Save customers at stores in the Auckland area can get 45 cents off per litre with a $200 spend, while New World customers can get a 40 cent per litre discount by spending $150 instore.

But you'll have to be quick as the offer only runs until midnight on Sunday 1 July, 2018.

Countdown Onecard holders who spend $100 in a week in store can earn 3c a litre discount, or 6c a litre discount for every $200 spent every week.

That's on top of an automatic 6c discount Onecard holders get at BP and Caltex. These rewards can also be accumulated over time, so customers can earn up to 30c discount every four weeks.

Money from the fuel tax will be used to fund improvements to the city's transport infrastructure.

Challenge petrol stations accept supermarket fuel discount dockets from any supermarket for a saving of 6c per litre.

FUEL COMPANY LOYALTY CARDS

There are loyalty card schemes such as AA Smartfuel, FlyBuys and Farmlands. AA Smartfuel can be used at BP or Caltex.

Users accumulate points from different shops and can save 6c per litre if they spend money in store.

FlyBuys can only be used at Z Energy and give members 6c off a litre.

Aucklanders who are Farmlands Fuel customers can save up to 12c a litre at Z Energy, Caltex or Challenge but only as a rebate on their Farmlands account.

CARPOOLING/PUBLIC TRANSPORT

There a number of ride-sharing apps and websites that make it easy to connect with like-minded Aucklanders travelling to similar destinations.

The main players are Smart Travel, Easy As Carpooling and CarpoolWorld.

Carpooling costs less on fuel, parking and allows drivers to utilise priority T2 and T3 lanes around the city.

Catching a train, bus or ferry is another way of avoiding the fuel tax while reducing congestion and helping to cut greenhouse gases.

Onzo bikes are dotted around the city in public places.

WALK OR CYCLE

Auckland residents whose destination is within walking or cycling distance, should think about opting for one of these choices as a way to save fuel.

According to the New Zealand Automobile Association Inc, about a third of the country's car trips are less than two kilometres in length.

Drivers also use more fuel when their vehicles are cold, and with winter in full swing it may be better on the pocket to wear a scarf and walk to your destination.

Auckland residents who own bikes can make use of the city's cycleways, while those without one can hire an OnzO bike.

The bike-share scheme was launched in October and dozens of black and yellow bicycles are available to use near bike stands, outdoor spaces and street corners across the city.

When the bike is not in use, it is immobilised, while locking mechanisms are released by using its app. The bike costs 25 cents per 15 minutes to hire.