KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Officials in Kansas City, Mo., hope a new ordinance requiring prepayment at gas stations will reduce driveoffs and drive down police costs, reported the Associated Press.
"It's a 100% preventable crime, and we're spending a lot of public resources (to combat it)," said Councilwoman Deb Hermann, who sponsored the ordinance. It passed on a 9 to 0 vote late last week, with no discussion, and takes effect next week.
Under the ordinance, customers must either pay at the pump with a credit or debit card or prepay [image-nocss] in the station or convenience store before pumping. Stores also have the option to issue cards allowing customers to fill up and then pay. The QuikTrip chain of convenience stores already uses that system, as do several other retailers.
Businesses that do not comply would not have their licenses renewed when they expire.
Last year, police said, there were 1,104 gasoline driveoffs in Kansas City. The cost of taking those reports was estimated at almost $26,000.
Gasoline thefts also create dangerous situations when thieves speed away from pumps, police said.
Dennis Carter, who owns several stations, said businesses should be able to decide whether to require prepayment. Customers coming in only to pay for gasoline are less likely to purchase other items, Carter said, and because other cities in the metropolitan area do not have prepay ordinances, he worries customers will go there. "We are all about customer convenience," he said. "And this will be less convenient for the customer."
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