At the time of departures on vacation, the French should expect high prices at the pump, especially in motorway service areas.
Well aware of changes in petrol prices, motorists are often confronted with higher prices at service stations in motorway service areas. While gasoline is reaching record levels (1.6854 euros on average for a liter of diesel, 1.7654 euros for a liter of SP95, 1.8210 euros for a liter of SP98), the bill looks steep on the way to vacation.
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A feeling confirmed by INSEE figures. A study carried out in the service stations of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté reveals that the prices charged in the stations located on the motorways are on average 11% higher. “Distributors point to higher operating costs at motorway service stations, which would thus affect prices at the pump“, specifies the INSEE. They are indeed open seven days a week and 24 hours a day.resulting in higher personnel and maintenance costs for premises – toilets, shops“.
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“Make a gesture”
An argument that consumer associations are struggling to hear. Rather, they point out that motorway service stations benefit from the lesser competition they encounter on these axes, and in particular from the virtual absence of large retailers at generally lower prices. Motorists on the motorway have no choice but to fill up at these stations. In 2014, the Consumption Housing Framework Association (CLCV) pointed out in a study that motorway stations also benefit from the fact that their users often know little about the regions they cross and its possible stations.
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Jean-Yves Mano, president of the CLCV association thus underlined this Wednesday on franceinfo that if TotalEnergies wished “make a gesture“for purchasing power, it was better to go down”the prices of 10 centimes on the motorway stations when leaving on vacation“. The group has indeed announced this week a price reduction of 10 cents per liter in petrol stations “rural“. “Given the exorbitant fuel prices on the highways, this will be more meaningful and at least everyone will be able to benefit from it», maintains Jean-Yves Mano.
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