KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A Kansas City, Mo., ordinance requiring motorists to prepay for gasoline has reduced the number of driveoffs from more than 1,100 in 2005 to virtually none over the past 13 months, said the Associated Press, citing police data.
After the ordinance took effect last summer, only 24 driveoffs have been reportedand 20 of those were an estimate from a patrol division that did not officially keep track during that time.
That is excellent, said City Councilperson Deb Hermann, who sponsored the measure. Based on research [image-nocss] into what happened in other cities, we anticipated a drastic dropoff.
Before the ordinance, stations along the northern and southern borders of the city were hardest hit by fuel thieves. In the central part of the city, many stations already were requiring customers to pay before they pumped, so the problem was not as acute.
While police and most gas station operators were pleased with the reduction of driveoffs, at least one owner is unhappy because he said he lost too many cash clients. It has been a bad idea, said Dennis Carter, who owns several stations on the north side of the city. The law, the way it's written, gives a certain company an advantage over the rest of us.
He said he believes chain QuikTrip gained customers because it has a patent on cards that allow customers to be pre-approved, then pay with cash after they have pumped gas. He said people who are paying cash do not want to estimate how much their tank can hold and how much fuel they need ahead of time.
I've lost at least 50% of my cash customers, Carter said.
But other station owners applaud the ordinance. We haven't lost any business, said owner Howard O'Neil. Not at all. In fact, last year my business went up about 20%. He said he has not heard many complaints, other than some minor grumbling from people from out of town. Even if they stopped the ordinance, I'd still make my customers prepay, he said.
Police Sgt. Brad Stott said the ordinance helps prevent other crimes related to gasoline theft. He said station clerks who have tried to stop someone from driving off without paying sometimes got hit or run over by the fleeing vehicle. Also, gasoline thieves often disobeyed traffic laws and posed a threat to others. As a result of the law, police can concentrate on things besides driveoffs, he said.
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