BEAVERTON, Ore. -- Another on-demand fueling service has popped up—this time in Oregon.
Patrice Holliday, co-founder of Rainy Day Fuel, told KATU News that she and business partner Sarah Hughes came up with the idea for Rainy Day Fuel when they were complaining to a software-engineer friend, Adam Maxon, about having to buy gasoline. Their biggest complaints: the time it took to get gasoline and the fact that, in Oregon, self-service fueling is prohibited except in select rural areas. Maxon suggested the three develop an on-demand fueling app to solve the problem.
Rainy Day Fuel LLC, Beaverton, Ore., started up in February. According to the company website, it currently has around 250 customers.
The app works similarly to other on-demand fueling services that have debuted over the past year in markets such as San Francisco, Miami, Atlanta, Nashville, and Dallas. A customer downloads an app—iOS or Android—enters vehicle and billing information, and then orders a delivery.
“When you're ready to fuel you'll log in, hit the request gas button, let us know how much you want—$15, $20 or fill-up—and your gas will be on its way,” Holliday told KATU. “Once you park your car, you're going to get out and pop your cap and you just walk away.”
Because of safety regulations, Rainy Day Fuels cannot deliver gasoline to a parking garage, although they can provide it to cars parked at home, work or other locations. “We make sure that we stand up to the highest measure of DOT's certifications and safety,” Holliday said.
There are three pricing packages: a starter package, which delivers fuel for a $5 fee by the end of the day; an upcoming professional subscription plan, which would offer fee-free delivery within a three-hour window and gasoline at a discounted price, and will be available for $15 per month; and a business service, which would also have a three-hour delivery window, discounted prices and no delivery fees.
The service is currently available west of Portland in Hillsboro and Beaverton, Ore., although it is poised to expand into more parts of the metropolitan market.
“We love the college campuses and corporate offices because we can go ahead and do multiple cars within that same lot,” Holliday told KATU. “We call that cluster fueling.”
Rainy Day Fuel currently offers just regular-grade gasoline, but plans to add a second truck with a 300-gallon tank to deliver premium.
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