Many older motorists may remember the days of driveway service at their local petrol station. That was before they were called service stations, which is ironic, considering there isn’t much of that.
Now so-called convenience and self-service have replaced driveway service. Yet it used to be convenient to just drive in and ask the smiling attendant for petrol, coolant and oil check – even a windscreen wash. It was also quite friendly.
Apparently, not everybody wants driveway service. One service station owner said some people worry the attendant might steal their fuel! In fact, having attendants at the bowsers means drivers are less likely to drive off without paying. These fuel drive-offs, whether intentional or not, are very costly for station owners.
Service stations offering full driveway service have to have higher insurance to cover the risks of attendants being injured on the forecourt.
Look out for them
A dozen service stations in NSW do still offer full driveway service. If you happen to be driving in any of these towns, look out for them:
- Bradfordville
- Bray Park
- Cootamundra
- Cowra
- Finley
- North Turramurra
- Rosebery
- Thirroul
- Turramurra
- Woollongong
- Yoogali.
One of the advantages of full driveway service is it creates more jobs in local areas. It could also reduce the number of breakdowns caused by overlooking basic jobs, like checking oil and water. Last, it could reduce the incidence of crashes caused by ignoring tyre maintenance.