A week after registration opened, only 700 filling stations have signed up to the government’s mandatory Fuel Finder scheme, with just two firms making up 83% of registrations.
That equates to 91.5% of the UK’s 8,279 forecourts not being signed up to the programme, less than three weeks before the February 2 deadline by which every filling station must have registered.
Registering is not a purely electronic exercise: firms signing up to Fuel Finder will be issued with a password granting access to the portal, with the government using postal deliveries to issue codes and warning these can take up to seven working days to arrive.
Forecourts must therefore register to request a code by January 22 at the latest to ensure they will receive the password in time for February 2 registration deadline.
MyAutomate, owner of PetrolPrices, which compiled the data, highlights that Rontec and Sainsburys’ have signed up their entire filling-station estates and comprise 83% of registrations. Other notable firms to have registered include Jet, the first oil company to engage with Fuel Finder, and Top 50 Indie Jos Richardson & Son.
Registration for Fuel Finder was due to begin on December 18, but ‘reliability testing’ saw it open on January 6. Despite this two-week delay, there was no concession for the February deadline due to this start date having been written into law.
The Competition and Markets Authority, which is administering and enforcing the scheme, will be focusing on assisting operators, rather than issuing penalties, for the first three months of Fuel Finder’s operation.
