Facebook petrol prices protest gets 115,000 members
Saturday 12th March 2011, 9:20AM GMT.
Almost 115,000 people have signed up to a group on the social networking site Facebook calling for a boycott of petrol stations on April Fool’s Day.
The group was created six days ago by Shropshire personal trainer, Jason Green, who originally invited just 200 friends to join his quest.
But the campaign has now gone national, spreading like wildfire across the social network with 114,736 people confirming they will take part in the boycott on April 1 with another 800,000 yet to reply to the invitation.
Mr Green, 21, who lives in Yockleton near Shrewsbury, said he decided to start the group after becoming fed up spending all his spare cash on petrol.
He said: “This only started off as a small thing but it could be huge.
“I just feel like I’m only working to fill up my car.
“Travelling to work and driving to see my girlfriend is costing me an absolute bomb and its the same for everyone in Shropshire.
“Nothing will get done if we simply do nothing. This is a chance to tell greedy fuel companies and the Government we have had enough.”
Mr Green said: “I originally only sent out 200 invitations but then friends invited their friends and the whole thing has spiralled.
“Quite a few people have written on the wall saying there is no point.
“But I think we should do something about the situation because if we don’t the prices will continue to go up.
“The boycott is gathering momentum with every second. Hopefully enough people will sign up to make a real difference.”
The Facebook group has just over 65,000 people who confirmed they will not be boycotting the pumps with more than 17,000 saying they may take part.
Average petrol prices across the country hit 132p a litre on Wednesday, meaning for the first time the cost of a gallon reached £6.
Fuel companies blame the rising cost of crude oil for the escalation in prices and warn the Libyan conflict could force further rises.
By Peter Finch
Most Commented
- Clampdown on Shrewsbury chuggers
- Bishop's gay marriage views do nothing to support bible teachings
- Planners ordered to stay on Newport visit bus
- Letter: Angered by close encounter of the furred kind
- Letter: Alcohol price plans annoy me
- Shrewsbury’s broadband speed one of slowest in UK
- Letter: No sense in overseas job adverts
Shropshire Star on Twitter
Keep updated with the latest breaking news and content on our Twitter feed.
Lifestyle
Interactive Dining Out map
Hundreds of reviews by the Shropshire Star and Express & Star's teams to help you decide where to eat.
Entertainment
All the film reviews
Before you plan a trip to the pictures, get our critics' verdicts on all the latest movie releases.
OUR NEW APP
Get the new Shropshire Star app
Download the Shropshire Star’s new app to your iPad or iPhone to get one week of access to our digital newspapers absolutely FREE.
shropshirestar.com
Popular sections
Useful links
What’s the betting all these idiots fill up the day before?
Report abuse
yeah that’s what they said they were going to do, he stated that in theory if no one fills up on april 1st then it will be an empty book for sales on that day affecting company profit.
Report abuse
Erm, are you expecting them not to fill up ever again? People need fuel, they can’t escape it, they have to have it. Of course they’ll fill up at some point. The point is they’re not going to do so on 1st of April. Not that I think it’ll achieve a great deal.
Report abuse
that’s the point?
Report abuse
That is not the point, it is the people saying we have finally had enough of being taken for a ride by these companies who view the general public that includes YOU GB and the government as mugs. Oil companies are a law unto themselves and they need to be stopped, they should be taxed at a higher rate on the profits. Just because you can’t be bothered to get up and show your mettle please do not refer to the rest of us as idiots.
Report abuse
These protestors are not making any point at all. They will buy just as much fuel as they would normally. They will just buy it on a different day.
Say you have 50 people, each buying £100 of fuel on March 31 and another 50 people each buying the same amount of fuel on April 1. Total = £10000.
Now let’s say you the same 100 people decide to join this protest and they all buy their £100 of petrol on March 31 and stay away from the petrol stations on April 1. Total = £10000.
So, it’s pointless. It’s only a meaningful gesture if you stop using fuel at all.
Report abuse
How exactly can the use of fuel be stopped altogether? Its affects absolutely every part of your life, not just what you put in your car. Everything you use, eat, write on, type on, etc, etc has fuel involved in the process of getting it to you in its finished form.
So suggesting we stop using fuel altogether is rather futile and unhelpful
Report abuse
if everyone in the country did it i think it would make a difference say we all go to supermarkets and buy 6 pints of milk or whatever it costs u to keep ya household for a week. they would sell out then no one buys any for days would play havoc with supply and demand.
not buying any is not viable for most people other than people that are leeching on benefits but thats another topic! ;)
Report abuse
you don’t have to use it unless it’s for work though, saying to buy it on a different day just means all drivers can take part. a
it’ll get quite a few people out of their cars and dusting off those old legs of theirs so they should still make a loss, plus it’s about showing solidarity and making a difference even if it is only for that day, regardless of how much fuel the actually buy. yes the cocky oil giants will scoff at how small a dent it actually made but they’d be a fool to ignore this
Report abuse
the point is it will make a point, they make the same amount of money, but the fact that people are working together will make a difference look at what happened in egypt
Report abuse
Elle, if you think oil companies are the evil forces behind petrol prices think again. If they were to completely remove their profit margins from petrol and diesel, there’d be a temporary reprieve of maybe 5p per litre at max. Then with no profits to reinvest on future development, the oil supplies dry up and prices spike a couple of years down the line.
Diesel is worth 40p per litre when sold by an oil company. A pumping station will make 1 or 2p. The rest is tax.
Furthermore, I agree with the Opening Post. Just buying on a different day is a ridiculous idea. “Getting the bus” won’t exactly teach the government a lesson either – this might be a cynical point of view but have you ever considered that they’re making driving more expensive as part of the carbon cuts? So that we only drive when necessary? Getting public transport is EXACTLY what they want us to do.
Report abuse
Chris
?????
Why are you referring to me? Throughly confused
Where did I say anything about the fuel companies?
Does anyone on here actually read the comments they are replying to?
And if they want us to use public transport maybe they should supply some!
Report abuse
chris you correct on all your points about the fuel debate i own 2 filling stations and its getting to the point how many small stations will be in buisness soon
Report abuse
I agree with elle that if they want us to use public transport they should invest more in that. where i live its impossible to get anywhere on public transport, and rediculously expensive!.
The way i see this protest, it wont make a difference to sales/profit, but it will make a statement, and thats what its all about – getting our voices heard!
Report abuse
The cost of petrol is directly related to the 80% of taxes on your fuel, Britian is taxed to death, if you were going to protest, maybe government waste should be on your agenda. Your V.A.T. is over 20% Hello!!! People. Your Pound (peso) is worth how much? Better wake up and start protesting.
Report abuse
“…these companies who view the general public that includes YOU GB and the government as mugs…”
You should be aware that the vast majority of the pump price in the UK is TAX/DUTY/VAT – the average US price at the minute is just over 3 dollars(about £2.00) A GALLON ie a third of what we’re paying…and surely it costs more to get it to the US from the various Arab and gulf states than to get it to the UK…
Report abuse
Its not about fixing the fuel prices, nor is it about trying to ramp the fuel prices down in one swift blow;
Its a message. A symbol. A symbol is nothing without people; its the people behind it that give a symbol its punching power. For instance, the Swastika is just a shape without its people; but after the Nazis, it has an impact of an entire nation. That is the power of symbols.
Same with this one-day boycott thing; its not a decisive blow to end the problem once and for all, its a symbol of defiance; a symbol telling the world we are ready to face this problem. A symbol of unification.
I for one, applaud it.
Report abuse
I know I risk sounding old but about 14 years ago virtually the whole country did this and guess what…petrol prices came down!
I get exactly what you lot are saying but it worked then so it’s a worth a go surely.
Report abuse
The only way to combat the high price of car ownership is to ditch the damn thing in the first place.
I’ve just done that this week, and I live in the sticks with a couple of bus services into town. Really, really fed up with being ripped off. When I first learned to drice six years ago, Diesel was 70 pence a litre.
Report abuse
Love to ditch the car Bob but I work for living, it’s how I pay my bills. If only everyone’s life were as easy as yours.
Report abuse
I’m sorry Elle but where the hell do you get off judging this guy as not having a job. There are thousands of people in the UK who work and get the bus. Some even get the train heaven forbid! Mixing with proles!
Report abuse
Where exactly did I say he did not have a job?
Please point out the exact phrasing in my comment that said Bob did not have a job?
Please read comments before attacking them
Report abuse
And I know some people get the bus to work but in some places this is not an option, there is, for exmaple, no public transport to the Hortonwood Industrial Estate that goes anywhere near it. One company even provides it’s own coach service so that its workers can get to work, my 60 year old mother walks an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening at 5am and 6pm to get to her job on the estate.
I’m sure you do something part time Bob and I may have phrased it wrong which if it caused you any offence I apologise but I was merely pointing out that ditching the car is not an option for many people if they want to be be able to put a roof over their head, for most having a car is a choice between being employed or not.
Report abuse
Agree with Alex. Ludicrously narrow minded and condescending.
Report abuse
Chirs,
Again learn to read comments before responding
I DID NOT ACCUSE BOB OF HAVING NO JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Report abuse
Hetty,
I disagree with your comment, bob may well have a job and may not even like hobnobs! i feel your comment was very insensitive as bob may suffer from a wheat allergy! as for being on his tod, well he might make lots of new friends when he takes the bus! so i would advise you to think again before you make such outlandish remarks!
Report abuse
By saying ‘but I work for a living’ you are saying that your circumstance is different from his which is directly saying he doesn’t work for a living. For someone who suggests people should read your posts it would be a good thing to read your own posts in future.
Stop being so damn condescending, I cycle to work everyday, never used a drop of petrol, never even bothered learning to drive. Lots of people are capable of it, like your mother that you so happily point out is doing just that. So it is a viable alternative to this rediculous plan.
Report abuse
to be fair i use to work for door to door companies up n down the uk, building and teaching people, in my last place i ended up getting two buses to work which took 1.30 hrs n a train then a bus on the way home from doing 12 hr shifts. theres always ways of providing a roof over your head, n u dont no if there is even a reason for bob not working, my dad use to be a body builder, then police, army etc, had one heart attack n the rest just follows, now hes had 13 operations, and is on disability living allowance but still volunteers for the c.i.d. i admit there is too many people who are lazy n wont go to work. but the government is to blame for that, not each other. and to the originally point whats the harm in trying if works then we al made a difference and if doesnt well at least you can so youve done some thing about and may even show light to different generations, and actually make a difference or a solution.
Report abuse
Hey we would all like to ditch the car at times,but as some of us rely on it for getting to work etc,and where some of us live,there is no way you are going to get public transport at 05.30am in the morning, to get you where you need to be,hard enough for the elderly to get a bus in to town once a week ,and there even going to cut that back ,this is just the government lining there own bloody pockets as usual,tax this tax that,even tax you on going for a c–p these days.
Report abuse
Would love to DITCH the car, but public transport to and from my work does not run the hours of my shift work. Why should I give up a job I love and help support the community in the job that I do
Report abuse
Why assume Bob doesn’t work Elle? Just because he gets the bus he obviously doesn’t work!?
What is wrong with bikes, buses, trains or even walking!! I can drive, and I have a car, but if I don’t need to use it I wont. I walk to and from work, and I start at 4am!
Report abuse
Again point out to me the exact sentence where I make the assumption that Bob doesn’t work
Big deal you start at 4am, are you a 60 year old woman walking to an industrial estate in the dark? If not, no comparison so don’t bother trying to make one.
Report abuse
Maybe your mum should learn to drive? Or being the good daughter you are, maybe you could drop her off and pick her up each day.
Report abuse
By saying ‘but I work for a living’ you are saying that your circumstance is different from his which is directly saying he doesn’t work for a living. For someone who suggests people should read your posts it would be a good thing to read your own posts in future.
I know ive stolen someone elses comment, but you clearly didnt read his reply, otherwise you would know where you implied Bob doesnt work….
Report abuse
grow a back bone and stand up for this counry that is like Europe and in a state lets get the old England back
Report abuse
Britain, buddy. Scotland has some of the highest prices for fuel and alot of the time, the furthest to travel. £1.44 a litre of diesel when i filled up yesterday. I have to drive 35 miles if i want anything other than basic food and i dont even class myself as living ‘in the middle of no where’
Report abuse
Well they will need fuel, however by boycotting the garage and not buying anything from them on on day will have an affect. Perhaps it would have more of an affect if we blocked the entrances to all the garages for one day .
Report abuse
i drink petrol
Report abuse
quality
Report abuse
I’ll definitely be joining you
Report abuse
It doesnot matter if they all fill up the day before, as the effect on the 1st April will make them think about how many of us have had enough of the situation.
Report abuse
Why not consider that each of you politicians drop your salary by 5% for 2 years It may just go someway towards saving the required amount that you continually want to screw us motorists for. We’re such an easy target & so soft in this country that we just go on & on taking it week after week. France or the USA just wouldn’t tolerate the amount we now pay per litre! – I’d like to think this kind of boycott would work but………??????
Report abuse
the cost fuel is mad now …
Report abuse
thing is other media news is reporting $200 a barrel ive been following for over 1 yr and its always been correct.even gold is going higher things are going to get alot worse if you think this is bad…
Report abuse
unleaded rose to £1.37.9 diesel to £1.45 on the isle of man this week roll on april fools day !!
Report abuse
there to much tax on petrol i find it so hard to run the car my famiey is sufffing because of it, less food on the table but i need the car to get to work
Report abuse
Soon, the Uk will be a 3rd world county. If the govenment dont help us.
Report abuse
I’m not sure on your logic there buddy. you think we need help from the government to sustain a culture in which we are constantly able to feed ourselves and wash and do basic functions.
yes i agree that fuel prices are getting ridiculous, but were is the incentive for the government to change it? money doesn’t grow on trees, the government would rather you used public transport. higher costs = less drivers + more money to spend on services. win win for them.
Report abuse
did you know there 2 or 3 different taxes on fuel i thought by law there should be only 1 tax on any product
Report abuse
no law on that, it happens everywhere, your wages get taxed, then you pay vat for the things you buy (+tax on some items, like petrol), the business that sold it to you pays tax on their profits, the company that delivered it also does, they have to buy petrol (taxed) etc etc
Report abuse
i totally agree with you my boyfriend sick and tired of spending what he does on petrol he travels about 40 miles a day to work and bak your boycot yes good but wont people just get extra the days up to the 1st april so they wont really be hit hard ? i hope i wrong tho good luck and my boyfriend wont be going near a pump on the 1st x
Report abuse
Well move closer to work then!
Report abuse
Yes because it’s that easy to sell your house and buy a new one at the moment isn’t it Onechop, any relation to Onesheet by the way?
Report abuse
oi shut up
Report abuse
and yes that is a good idea to do that because then saying that soon we wont be able to afford it at all
Report abuse
petrol needs to be lower tax is too high
Report abuse
Yes, all our taxes are too high but the price of everything in this beleaguered isle is set at whatever the market will stand. And, as we are not given to rioting on the streets, we’ll stand anything. That’s why multi-national companies refer to us as Treasure Island, If the government halved the tax on fuel the oil companies would just increase the price back to where it was before. The government does not run this country, big business does; as long as we let it!!
Report abuse
taxed to the hilt
Report abuse
How come when oil goes up the fuel goes up almost right away. But, it takes months for the fuel to go down in price when the oil price goes down. If it does go down that is
Report abuse
its about time something was done let people stand together an unite
Report abuse
its a joke why cant we just pay the same as the usa and places like that
when i started to drive fuel was 70p per leatre now 1.40
it was announced that a garrage in suffork is now charging 1.53 a leatre for diesel
is this right ?? no
please every one just dont fill up on the 1/4/11
we have to force them to drop the prices
Report abuse
try getting paid the same as usa the costs the same when all said and done cost of living here is the same as Uk when your using US Dollars
Report abuse
I totally agree thats we should do something as petrol prices are getting to be a joke, and alot of my income going in the tank because of it , i work 35 miles away from home so I have noticed my petrol gauge getting worse. I feel we sholud do what we did years ago when blair was in power and make it last a while and show uk are united.
if tax was taken off it would be alot better they have screwed us ecerywere else in our tax,vat and the cuts that are happening its time the goverment do something 4 us!!!!
Report abuse
Will try to do my bit. Walking and cycling are great too. Car sharing, finding work closer to home, making friends with my neighbours, running to the park rather than driving to the gym. What else?
Report abuse
This is the first sensible comment.
If you really want to hurt the people that are profiteering from the hyper-inflated fuel prices stop using it wherever possible.
Report abuse
Sadly it’s not always the case =[
I live literally in the middle of nowhere and the nearest shop is 5 miles away with no public transport coming anywhere near us!
Ugh, and there’s the trip I have to take from uni back home. Either way I think the Government are going to win in some ways, no matter how hard we all try.
Report abuse
bring the petrol down
Report abuse
I might be stupid but, everyone has own car should not drive it for one week. (only in case of emergency). Use public transportation, if your destination is near walk to it or get a bike if you have one. Imagine…, just 5-10% of the people in UK to do that. Even the 5% will be a noticeable result on their reports. Then they will take your sayings in serious.
Report abuse
Feel free to give it a try yourself, but a 20 mile commute to the office is 2 hours on the bus, or 40 minutes in the car. I have a life outside of commuting and working, so it’s a non-starter for me, I’m afraid, and I suspect it’s the same for the majority of people. The government knows this, which is why they’re unlikely to capitulate on the fuel duty issue.
Report abuse
It’d be difficult for everyone but it’s only a week out of your life, not that bad. Inconvenience yourself a little for the greater good!!
Report abuse
Of course will be difficult. That’s how everything in life is.
Jake, yes I know that some people might not be able to do so so that’s why I just said the 5% of the people. Well just an idea. Thanks for commenting Jake and woosie.
Report abuse
Will pass this on through my profile!!!!!
Report abuse
Yes this country is a rip off,ive only just past my test last year and had my first car for a month now and ive noticed its gone up since then,this is getting realy stupid now,i also feel like im working just to fill the car up,also they start these wars just to get the oil,then use an excuse to put the price of oil up,something needs to be done also there must be another way as oil and gas is running very low so what is the point in lpg,if every 1 converted to lpg they will just put the price up on that too,its only cheap now coz they cant sell it coz not every 1 has got it,battery cars aint realy took of neither,do something everybody enough is enough u have my support.
Report abuse
I would like to start a petition to reduce the size of this sentence.
Report abuse
I would support that petition!!!
Seriously, if VAT is to deliver an amount of income to the treasury, you would think that the government could reduce the rate as the price rises and still recoup the income it has budgeted for…
Report abuse
I fully agree. It’s a percentage game. If the price of crude oil increases then at each stage of the process to the pump the revenues from duty increase in proportion.
A reduction in tax at the pump (even if it were a temporary measure) would keep Britain moving and mitigate the threat of spiralling costs accross the economy. The effects of higher fuel prices are much further reaching than the cost of filling up the tank.
I am not sure on the effectiveness of a one day boycott, however as the origninator of the campaign states – it is more about a show of solidarity than an attempt to damage the bottom line for the fuel giants.
We could sit on the sidelines and criticise or we could participate and see if it has any effect. Sure, the direct action of an orchestrated blockade of forecourts and refineries would perhaps have more impact, but as a nation we do tend to shy away from activity that might result in a scrape with the law.
A peaceful, lawful act of solidarity could be a step in the right direction.
Report abuse
Here’s an interesting (I hope) observation from someone who’s dependent on the car for business travel.
I find that increasing fuel costs are having an effect on driving behaviour everywhere I travel. Motorway speeds are down on average and so therefore are emissions, which has to be a good thing. The “repmobile” is no longer the fastest thing on the motorway; that position has been filled by the white Mercedes Sprinter van.
Report abuse
Get a more economical vehicle & walk if you can?
As the amount of oil in the world decreases the prices will only go up, stop your whining.
If you’re that bothered get an electric car, 20p a refill can’t be bad :p
Report abuse
How far away from your workplace do you live then?
Report abuse
A few miles, I get a bus.
Report abuse
im sorry but i dont agree electric cars are just as bad although it costs less to fill up they damage are enviroment just as much as a normal car. just remember where the majority of electric comes from burning non-renewable fuel sources. and you pay 20p to refil but you cant go out of town for the fear it will die before you get home. electric cars are far from ready for the majority of public. in my opinion the way forward is hydrogen fuel cell cars using the most abudent gas as a fuel source is brilliant :D
Report abuse
I conpletely agree! =D Hydrogen fuel cell cars would probably be a much more efficient replacement for all of the non-renewable fuel guzzlers on the road. The question is whether the majority of people would be willing to try them?
Report abuse
No the question is if, after a recession and during a period of rising unemployment, can the majority of people afford to dump the perfectly acceptable working car they have and buy a new electric car? I think not
Report abuse
You don’t like electric cars because electricity comes from non-renewable resources, but you like hydrogen cars?
How do you think the hydrogen is produced, exactly?
Report abuse
Nah, in an internal combustion engine car 100% of the energy comes from burning fossil fuels, plus the engine isn’t as efficient and produces more carbon monoxide than a power station would. Not to mention that not all of the national grids power is from fossil fules. So, if everyone switched over to electrical cars the ball would be in the governments court as such for emissions.
Report abuse
I work as a support worker and the cost of petrol has riven me off the road. Along with everyone else who supports the elderly and vulnerable people who the govt want to live in the community, it is now near impossible to drive to the various addresses as all disposable income plus some is going on fuel. These are the people who will ultimately suffer as there will be no one who can afford the fuel to get to them.
Report abuse
its the same with everythin… i was workin about 5-10 miles awayfrom home 4 35 hours a week b4 i had my daughter and i have had 2 leave work just 2 b able 2 keep a roof over our heads… if i went bk 2 work i was goin 2 be about £100 wors of a week meanin i couldnt pay either the rent or we had 2 live without food
Report abuse
And Jason Green is going to pay the wages of the lowly-paid workers his boycott will hit, when they lose a days’ pay, is he?
Jasaon, what’s it like going through life not bothering to think of the consequences of your actions and how they might hurt other people?
Report abuse
People who work at petrol stations are not on comission! They will still get paid even if all they do on April 1st is sell cigarettes and chocolate.
Report abuse
This is a great idea. It’s not about hitting the individual petrol stations and there profits as you should know that they only make 5p profit on every ltr. It’s to show the government ect. That we will not stand for it any more! Tax profit needs to be found else were ie banks!! I work in a petrol station and I am sick of getting abuse from customers about the price. But I don’t think they realise I pay the same to fill my car up!! And I don’t set the prices, it’s the head of company that does that. Also people need to realise a car is a luxury. If you want to use, it pay for it, if not, then get rid. Also walk a little bit it dosnt hert. I see people drive to the local shop for bread and milk ect. when I know they live a 5 min walk away! And my last tip is not to fill up. U get more for your money if u put in 4 sets of £10 then if u did one £40 lot over a month. They waight of more fuel in your car uses more fuel to move it around. So a emptier tank uses less to drive around in.
Report abuse
Electric cars are a stupid idea as where does the electricity come from to recharge them!!! by burning coal. also the prices of electric cars is criminally insaine and for what a full charge in most electric cars will get you about 70 miles what if you work 75 miles from home you can refill you car in minutes like with fuel….. also you may all be under the illusion that the oil recorces in the world are low but they really arent the oil tycoons just need to look harder for it as every 10 yrs there is 100% more oil being created under the worlds seabeds, its simple really its not more than 10% the oil tycoons fault i think you will find its your goverment getting greedy. if you think long and hard about this i think you will find that out of a £500 take home wage a week your actually left with arround £50-£100 that isnt being taxxed in some way.
Report abuse
Once upon a time, the internal combustion engine was a bit of a novelty: very expensive to operate, quite dangerous, limited range (thanks to scarcity of fuel supplies) and who needed one anyway as there were plenty of horses. It was probably considered a stupid idea by most people, but it didn’t stop it becoming popular.
Report abuse
Jimbob, not all electricity comes from burning fossil fuels. You could get a few solar panels in your garden and charge your car overnight for free. Big cost to begin with, but you’d save a lot of money.
I mean, you can’t be made to pay tax on sunlight right??? ;)
We have to stop using fossil fuels at some point, so why not do it now while there’s a good reason?
Report abuse
i think its riculous i am 16 and only run a 50cc scooter that dosnt exactly drink fuel. when i got it in august i could just about fill it on a fiva. i topped up from 1/4 of a tank yesterday and spent £7 :O i feel like im spending every last penny of my EMA on it and god knows what to do when the goverment take that off me aswell :(. not looking forward to this august when i learn to drive gonna have to get a job on top of everything else i have to do :@ something needs doing now. count me in on the 1st :D
Report abuse
Cookie, you’re going to have to get a job anyway because with the state of insurance prices the way they even are if petrol were at a decent price you’d still have no EMA left by the time your insurers had sapped your money. Good luck with your driving though, hope your lessons don’t leave you skint.
Report abuse
…OR buy a motorbike/scooter
Most of them are over 120 mpg anyway…
Report abuse
Yes, because i can see the circus act of a whole family communting on a death trap.
120mpg… 120% more exposed to physical injury. Humpty Dumpty comes to mind.
Bikes are the least convenient vehicles on the road, and thats before the engine starts eating itself due to the levels of torque they produce.
On another note my workplace is budgeting at ridiculous levels trying to save money and keep profit. This is Pembroke Oil Refinery, owned by America’s largest refining company Valero.
Report abuse
How many families do you see commuting? Most cars have one occupant and use up far more fuel sat at a standstill. And why are bikes death traps? Per mile travelled the most dangerous form of transport is the horse, the least dangerous is the plane, maybe we should all fly to work.
Why are they the least convenient? when i worked in birmingham it took me 18 minutes to do a trip that took 2 hours by bus or an hour and a half by car.As for the levels of torque eating the engine, thats controlled by the throttle and it has to be said that any bike producing 120mpg is not going to be producing huge amounts of torque.
Report abuse
its not a stupid idea, and yes people will still be using the same amount of fuel despite not filling up on the 1st, but i think the point is to make the gvt. and the fat cats aware of this discontent. people who strike and demonstrate are in a similar position, i.e. going back to the job theyre protesting about, or using the trains they are complaining about, but if enough people join to let them know how badly the public are angered, it may just make them think! stranger things happen :)
Report abuse
did you know there 2 or 3 different taxes on fuel i thought by law there should be only 1 tax on any product :(
Report abuse
Just leave the car at home for a wee, we will all be doing that soon the price of a lite is now £1.40 in Sussex Alan
Report abuse
I run my own dog walking business and while I spend a third of my day walking the dogs, the other two thirds is spent driving from my house to pick the dogs up, then to the forest to walk them, then back to all their houses and on to the next walk. I cannot run my business without a vehicle. It’s that simple. If the government wants to destroy all small businesses because of the cost of fuel then they should carry on. As someone else mentioned, everything we need/want has to be distributed somehow. Usually on our roads in big gas gussling lorries. When the distributors have to pay more for their fuel, the cost of their cargo will also go up. We pay for it that way too.
I don’t know what the solution is, but it can’t hurt to try this just to let them know that we have actually noticed this criminal rise in price on our fuel.
Report abuse
like most of us a car has become part of whom we are status or not but it has also come as a gift for people like my daughter that gets transport to her special needs nursary think about all them people with out transport ie car/mini bus to get around and for myself having a car is essential for emergencys day today living meals on wheels ambulances etc we need them we NEED it cheaper has to be cheaper ill stand by the person who started this and shake his hand and sayto him ask the priminister himself with out the help of transport would his son of got the care he needed the clothes on his back no we need sorry must stand together and be counted for once
Report abuse
TRY CYCLING TO WORK INSTEAD OF MONEY HEY
Report abuse
keep the running costs down for small businesses….
Report abuse
thats fine for those people saying its a luxury or just walk to the shop, i think people ar forgetting about the disabled drivers who NEED the use of car every single day in order to live unless those of you who suggest getting rid or dont use it as much are willing to go shopping for the disabled in their community and hump the shopping bags along the street.
i think some ppl should consider the wider picture on how this affects lives of the british ppl.
Report abuse
All the bright sparks who think ditching the car is so easy I take you never have to make a purchase of anything in life. Nothing from any shop, no food, toilet rolls, medicine when you have a headache?
Are you all so naive as to think that rising fuel costs do not affect you too? Absolutely everything you purchase has a fuel cost associated with it, how on earth do you think it gets from point of production to point of sale?
Stop attacking those people brave enough to stand up for themselves just becuase you’re not
Report abuse
this whole thing isnt trying to get people to ditch their cars or make the companies lose profit, for all those crying about long commutes and similar profits. Its a show of unity. ‘If we want to cause you problems, we can, so stop taking the p#@s with the prices’ kind of thing.
However trolls on here seem to want to cause arguments with poorly sided views that have no backing or real logic.
No matter where the cost is in the fuels, (companies or govt) it affects us all in all aspects of our life. ever wondered why your bills are higher, and products on the shelf are more expensive? how do people think inflation is decided?
but yes, would people stop bullying others for their points of view. last time i checked this was a free country and people were allowed their own opinions.
Report abuse
y cant u all just do it and see what happens before it got to £1 a litre lorrys were blocking roads and all sorts now it is gett stupid no1 seems to be bothered. look at the middle east they fight to get wat they want so y dont we do the same. this country is rediculas with everything
petrol prices , fag prices , beer prices everything is so more expensive than anyother country. lets do something and boy cot them stop buying petrol and deisel use your bloody legs !!!!!!
Report abuse
Not really sure enough people will take part for it to make an actual difference. Perhaps printing off posters and putting them up in and around your local petrol stations will bring it to more peoples attention.
Report abuse
well i’ll join you. maybe it will maybe it won’t , whatever its a start. posters is a good plan. try the local bike cafes and truck stops
Report abuse
Just do it and do your best not to use any fuel whenever and however you can.
What have you got to lose?
Report abuse
My hubby to drive over 30miles to work n no buses at times he starts. Even if he could get a bus it would take him a least 2 hours. the job he does he couldn’t get one nearer to home. petrol goes up but wages don’t go up to cover cost of living let alone petrol prices.Its ridiculous, he even takes turnabout with his brother to help, but that doesn’t help that much. The government r making these changes to soon too quick n hurting everyones pocket.
Report abuse
Efficient driving will help. The point of this campaign is not to make people stop using their cars – motor travel has become a neccessity for the majority of Britons, whether we like it or not. The most precious commodity is no longer money, but time.
This campaign is to grab attention, not to try and make a difference in motor habits. If petrol forecourts were empty for one day, then the companies that run them are reminded about how consumer dependent they are.
People buying petrol on one day, and people using their cars, are 2 different things, and can co-exist. It’s one day without filling up, not one day without your car.
Although, in my opinion, if you are so dependent on your car that you could not possibly in any way shape or form live without it for one day, then you may need to reorganise your priorities. I walk 4 miles every day because I simply can’t justify the use of petrol. Even if it inconveniences you, there is another way.
Report abuse
*even buses are disabled friendly, and those who need help with transport, it is available. Even so, one day without a car? For emergencies there are the emergency services. It is what they are there for.
Report abuse
My husband is a courier and we have been really hard hit by the rises. I think that the intention behind the 1st April is good and I will be joining in even if it means puting in a bit extra at the start of the week. If the people who do not like the idea would like to come up with anything productive then please feel free to start your own FB campaign, I’ll be sure to support that as well. It is time to stand together to demonstrate to the government that given time and organisation we can hit them where it hurts. It is the pricipal of standing together that will hurt the tax grabbers not the point that the day after we will be filling up again. A united stance is defo what is needed.
Report abuse
Some people are so ridiculous!
Why start an argument on a commenting facility on a news article :| Pointless.com – it detracts from the very point of the original article!
Regardless of your mathematics about the situation, if a HUGE chunk of people don’t fill up or top up on April 1st, it WILL make the government think. It will bring ATTENTION to the issue of rising fuel costs, not solve it, and nobody here is suggesting that, though we’d all hope it!
antonia.
Report abuse
you will not stop the increase no matter what
Report abuse
MMMM…. well a friend of mine is working on a rig in israil and theyve just discovered a massive ammount of black gold, enough to keep the country in oil for about 50 yrs. and enough to sell. so the prices have to go down surely? or is there more to the war out there? the mind boggles.
Report abuse
if people really find it hard they should try getting the bus instead
Report abuse
Pointless in practical terms. People who don’t fill up on April 1st will just have to fill extra on another day. People aren’t saying they’re going to stop driving, they’re saying they won’t buy petrol on that day. If people don’t drive any less at all, the government and oil companies aren’t making any loss at all. Meaningful as a gesture only don’t think this will get far, sorry.
Report abuse
Spot on, fuel companies wont care if they are quiet for a day if they take the same amount of money over the week.
I agree something needs to be done but can’t see this having any real effect
Report abuse
yes its a gesture, it is meant as a gesture. Would it hurt to put fuel in a day early or a day later? How often do you put fuel in? I usually do it once a week so i might have to change my day , hardly a big deal is it?
Report abuse
Also once a week, changing the day is no big deal, point is it wont make a scrap of difference to the fuel companies. Only blocking in like last time or using less fuel will. If you sold a product people needed would you be bothered no-one turned up one day if you doubled your takings the dya before?
Report abuse
Do not people understand a united protest (it worked on the forests) – & look out London on 26th March? SO there is EVERY REASON to join together and make a SYMBOLIC PROTEST; especailly to make the Condems sit up & take notice [those of us who lived through Thatcher’s bulldozer policies know the worst thing you can do is roll over and play dead. ACTION goes back in history a loooong way!! uit won’t defeat the policy but it will make the government slightly uneasy!!
Report abuse
agree with most of the comments. most drivers will fill up the day before but it is about making a staement to the powers that be. if we all stick together we can make them listen. dont fill up on 1/04/11 and make a stand!!!!
Report abuse
Bet the MP’s dont pay for there petrol bet we are paying it for them, TAX TAX TAX thats all we ever pay. putting fuel up puts prices up everywhere and on everthing, torys done it to us before and doing the same thing yet again 2.5 millon out of work and thats just the start of the year and will get worse.
We need MP’s that are not ritch and dont give a toss we need them for the people and to lower taxes that will make jobs come to briton.
Report abuse
i blames the tories for putting up VAT, its the wrong tax at the wrong time, they will kill our economy
lets hope those arabs stop moaning soon too hey we need those governments to crack down hard and crack down now to get the oil flowing
Report abuse
i think its brill idea,only for the day and say if fuel gos up it would happen more ofthen if prices keep goin up,i wont be able to go many nice places with my kids if it dos keep going up so if we dont try anything they will just keep putting it up
Report abuse
how can it work????? if you fill up earlier they will already have your tax, its a stupid idea. the only way is to stop buying it compleatly and use public transport for a week, how many are willing to do that~?????
Report abuse
In principle it is a good idea but will not work. Like most people say, the profit loss will be made up by purchasing the same fuel before or after the 1st.
Around 30% of the price is actually for the fuel and large oil companies. It’s the rising 66%+ of Fuel tax and VAT that is costing the motorist so much! This is what needs to be addressed.
The profit margins of the oil companies is so large that if 115,000 motorists refuse to buy petrol for one day, it wouldn’t make a dent in global profit and will have no notable effect!
Report abuse
ANARCHY
Report abuse
The group claims “this will create a massive back log and loss of profit for just one day and will make them think that if we threaten to do this often we can make a difference”.
So the whole point is trying to fool oil companies into thinking we might all stop buying petrol regularly? They’re quite aware how much petrol people buy, it’s their business and they know it a darn sight better than most of the people supporting this futile gesture.
It’s an empty threat, they won’t be affected by people just buying their petrol a day earlier/later and they know it couldn’t happen regularly. This plan really, REALLY doesn’t make any sense.
Report abuse
We have always been a country that just accepts the way things are, its about time we stood up and made ourselves heard.
I understand that the cash problmes were casued by a bunch of idiots who have since been booted out of power, but that doesn’t mean that Fuel can keep rising till it becomes a luxuary of the rich.
There is debate on who is at fault, but i do notice that when the price of oil goes up the price we pay at the pumps goes up, when the price of oil goes down the price we pay at the pumps goes up!
I got rid of my car, public transport is a joke and just as expensive, so i cycle to and from work. I refuse to br robbed by the oil companies and the goverment.
Report abuse
I agree this wont make a huge dent in profits but I will point out that THE POINT IS TO STAND TOGETHER AND MAKE A POINT THAT WE CAN UNITE IF WE WANT TO. Nowhere did the organiser ask us not to drive/ stop buying fuel and nowhere does he say it is meant to cause a loss of profit. If all those who think it is a waste of time have a better idea well let’s hear it!! This act is to get people working together for a common aim – something which is apparently alien to some posters here. Even if you think it is pointless, what harm will it do you to buy your fuel on 31 March or 2 April. This protest is to show that we can unite and think of the whole picture and not just ourselves once in a while. I do not imagine for a second that this will result in a drop in price – BUT I SURE AS HECK WILL BE SUPPORTING IT! Seems just as pointless to me not too.
Report abuse
what annoys me about all this is that petrol prices have actually gone down in europe by 2p,,,,,yes i know only 2p but it makes all the difference, we are the only country in europe that is continuosly increasing our prices, we pay tax on tax which i think is takin the mick……we basically pay 40% tax on petrol…….i agree with not going to a petrol station on 1 day you will mess them up completely, all businesses need to make a profit everyday to balance their books and to maintain their profit margin, if you dont fill up at all for one day for example if a petrol station earns 10,000 for one days fill up that would probs be a profit of around 5000 pounds, taking out the land fees, business rates, the insurance, staff fees and so on……that means they will be making a loss of say 25,000, which is pretty huge because if everyone fills up before the 1st then no one will need to fill up for a few days which means profits will go down n petrol prices will have to go down to get the people back. Therefore businesses could be looking at loosing around say around 50k in a month and thats pretty huge.
I think that the goverment need to stop having salaries of aroun 250k each n have the same wages as a manager or even md which is usually around 75-150k depending what business ur in. I think this country is a sham and needs sortin too….mayb if they sort petrol out they cud do the roads.
Report abuse
Seriously, nobody is trying to affect the companies profits, ITS A SHOW OF SOLIDARITY!!!
Theres no way we can affect them financially, not yet at least, but this is a fantastic idea and anybody who says its not is blind.
By the way, the price of crude oil has NOTHING to do with the protests. We are protesting about the insane amount of fuel duty added on.
D
Report abuse
born free.. taxed to death.
Report abuse
Ain’t that the truth!
Report abuse
Petrol going up taking my bus service away they just want us house bound if we live in the sticks its alright for the govement as they can walk everywhere or afford petrol prices with their wages what we pay takes the pee me thinks
Report abuse
All you people out there, why dont we just not buy any fuel say for a week from the bigger oil companys/ say Esso ,BP Texaco, then mabie then they will drop their prices, but we must have set dates and do it as a motoring nation? what do you think?
Report abuse
we use our car for work thats how we get to work my daughter juggles being a great mum and taking her son to school and working if she didnt have her car she would not be able to do it then the government talk about mums going to work well my daughter works hard and if it wasnt for her car transport would make it difficult for her to keep her job whats more important people working or petrol prices the more they put the price up the harder it is to go to work transport prices are bad enough dont take away our travel it cost enough for tax and insurance already give us a break…….
Report abuse
We are currently the most heavily tax country in europe….making a stand to say enough is enough does not make anyone stupid …it is clearly people using their democratic right! I have not put fuel in my car for 2 weeks now, why should the Government keep profiting??
Report abuse
If all we have to do is not fill up on 1st April I’m all for it even if it’s just to say to the Government that we are not happy, We own a very small business in the East Neuk of Fife and use our transport to get our staff back and from work and if we have to make sure we have enough fuel to get us over this period then e will all we need to do is make a stand and 1 day will show them how we feel ….is that so much for anyone to do????
Report abuse
Britain – the country full of taxes – we love it !!!! Even taxed for watching the T.V.
People pay it and roll over..
The reason taxes keep increasing is because we do naff all about it …..
Report abuse
i think the only why to do this it to shut all major roads down and put the country to stop that is what i think
Report abuse
just boycott BP and ESSO
Report abuse
Oh, the old boycott BP and Esso brightspark, which has never worked before.
As the majority of UK outlets (filling stations, irrespective of brand) are independently owned and operated these retailers are likely to suffer most from any type of boycott.
Then what cunning plan next ……….. everyone will have to drive far further to a supermarket, especially in rural areas, only to discover the price has gone up further through a lack of competition.
Wise up……. high prices which are a direct result of high taxation suit only the treasury and the supermarkets who can afford to sponsor them.
Remove the tax element and this country has the cheapest fuel in europe and a worrying increase in the number of outlets closing!!
Report abuse
A minor detail on the 1st april boycott plan FYC ……….
Duty is paid by the party receiving the delivery on the day of receipt. ie. when the tanker pulls on the forecourt.
Boycotting outlets for a single day won’t affect the treasury as they will have already received their tax take for the fuel that you supposedly won’t be buying on that day.
Such action will mainly affect the running and operation of independent outlets who you will then desire opened, staffed, rates paid and with fuel in their tanks for when you next need some fuel and all for an approx 2% gross margin.
Report abuse
Hi everyone,
I totally agree with the boycott in theory, only wish like thousands of other businesses that we could join in, but unfortunately we have to have fuel, otherwise we do not earn money, and it is likely to make is go under! Good luck to all involved, I only wish I wasin the position to join protest!
Report abuse
How on earth did we let them get away with these price increases for so long. In 2000 we blockaded the refinaries and done something about it. I went past a BP garage in Ongar Essex and deisel was £143.9 a litre and 3 miles up the road at Norton Heath it was £136.8 GREADY BP. I am thining of standing outside BP with a plackard and redirecting traffic
Report abuse
A minor flaw in the boycott theory ………… duty is paid at the point of delivery onto the filling station forecourt or maybe prior in the chain. Therefore the tax take for the treasury will not be hindered at all and the government will even collect the duty from tankers delivered on April 1st.
Retailers and their staff will suffer most by a one day boycott, so what’s the point as it is beyond their control.
Back to the drawing board!!
Report abuse
I have done the sensible thing – reduced consumption. They increase the price, I reduce how much I spend and use. This has a ongoing effect as I have done the same to the supermarkets and other retail outlets. I am better off.
What you also need to consider is food prices and other goods are also increasing but Supermarkets and other retail outlets are still recording record profits. The consumer is being taken for a ride all the time.
I have reduced what is not a necessity, if they want my custom reduce the price to a point that I (a big I) feel the value is worth it.
If everybody took that attitude then you would see business attitudes change as profit margins are hit. It’s called a consumer strike.
Report abuse
The fuel costs are too much, all it means is we stay at home more, eat less, shop less, cook less, so how does this help the economy but it is the only way we can afford to so-called live our lives nowadays. In the 70′s I remember CAR sharing or walking to work it didnt work then it wont be the way now either. The government can save the Banks when it suits them so why not the Petrol stations.
Report abuse