In 2018 Zebra Fuel announced that they had raised $2.5 million in seed money to focus on gasoline delivery in the UK. With this, the focus seemed to have shifted from Silicon Valley start-ups in the US to the UK.
The London based company is one among a growing number of global gasoline delivery companies seeking to disrupt how we fuel our vehicles.
In the US, the total gasoline retail market is worth 323 million gallons every year and these start-ups want to get a piece of that pie.
What is Gasoline delivery and how can it be your lifesaver? Gasoline deliveries aren’t new but you may not have all the facts. Learn how getting gas delivered can save you time and money (plus ways to profit).
How Old Are Gas Delivery Services
Gasoline delivery is an old practice whereby people who run out of gas in interior areas would call an emergency rescue truck. This was only rescue-mission with payment for the emergency rescue services and sometimes towing. This can also be a case of first responder services like fire engines and towing trucks.
What Is Gas Delivery Services?
This is a rather modern way of fueling vehicles at homes, offices or even outside of social joints like hotels, restaurants, and malls. It involves the use of technology, mainly a mobile app to make on-demand fuel delivery to your location which makes you pay a convenience fee. It has been nicknamed the Uber of gasoline as they provide fuel at a vehicle owner’s most convenient spot.
The rise of this concept has changed the manner in which people are fueling their cars. It has been compared to the drive-through fast food which changed the manner in which people accessed their foods during a busy time of the day. With the use of a gasoline delivery service, you continue with your work as someone refills your vehicle and saves you time to drive to a gas station.
Companies delivering gasoline use specific trucks, pick-ups and fuel transfer tanks. This ensures the safety of the product being delivered. The companies are expected to meet a high level of competence to avoid accidents and spillage.
The Rise of the App Era
The app era seems to have been motivated by other disruptive technologies that rely on the ease and convenience of a mobile phone. For example, riding on Uber has become very convenient for urban folks. Also ordering food, shopping, and other essentials have never been this easy.
Most of the gasoline delivery services are based on mobile phone apps that you only need to download.
The app era has given rise to such companies as Zebra Fuel in London, Booster in San Francisco, Purple in LA and the ExxonMobil backed Yoshi Inc. A customer willing to access these services downloads a mobile app and orders delivery of fuel to their location. The price sometimes is lower than in a normal gas station but there is a fee.
The idea is to get a share of the retail gas market and decongest city centers.
How You Can Profit from Using On-Demand Gasoline Deliveries
As we have seen, these deliveries can really benefit you and end up saving your money. Here, we give you 11 reasons why you can end up profiting in your location through the use of a gas delivery service.
- Time Is Money
With this model, you continue running your tasks as you wait for your car to be filled. In a busy life that the world is leading, there is basically no enough time to finish all planned activities. There is a growing realization of the need to free up some of our time by letting someone else do it for you, at a small cost.
This means, you can continue with a meeting with a client, and at the same time, order for gas and also order for groceries to be delivered at home. This leaves you with ample time to relax or engage in a worthy activity. This is the value of such a service.
- Beat the Traffic
When you order your gas on-demand services, the company is the one to work out how to get fuel to you, not the other way round. It’s a case of the mountain going to Moses metaphor. This saves you the hustle of queuing at the gas station or even overcoming traffic on your way to fuel.
In the case of a crowded city, you end up spending a lot of time stuck in traffic while you could be doing something else. This service ensures that they organize the easiest way to reach you without a hustle.
- Can Save You Towing Costs
Assume you are not sure how much gas you have in your tank and how far the remaining amount can take you. When in doubt, just look for a convenient place to pull over and request for gas delivery. This can end up saving you high costs of towing and trying to find a way of getting into a gas station.
- A Lifesaver in Emergency Situations
Remaining in an emergency situation, assuming you lose your fuel in the middle of nowhere and there is no real sign of a gas refill station. With a delivery app, you can request for gas and it’s delivered to your location. This can actually be a lifesaver in instances of poor weather like snow or even in the woods where wild animals dangerously roam.
- You Actually Can Get a Bargain
Many of the on-demand gas apps buy their stock in bulk. This ensures that they sell their fuel a little cheaper than some of the gas stations. If you compare the gas prices within your location using online locators like Google Maps, you could be surprised to pay less than at a gas station.
This price can be lower even when you add the delivery cost.
- Environmentally Sound
There are few if any reported cases of spillage by on-demand gas delivery services. This coupled with stringent regulations set by authorities, makes it quite safe and sound for the environment. Also, most of the fuel is delivered in high-quality equipment that doesn’t promote leakage and spills.
For example, Yoshi Inc. says its delivery service is safer than a gas station. They say they have been tested and approved by different fire marshals, highway patrols and the Department of Transport. This is the same case for most of the gas delivery companies.
- Guarantees You Quality Fuel
Most of the on-demand gas delivery apps are eager to make a name. They are also supported by major oil retailers who are bound by strict oil retail guidelines. This ensures that the gasoline that you receive is of high quality just as you could have gotten from the pump.
- Can Come with Extra Auto Services
There is diversification in this industry. While the core business of this concept of business is delivery of gas conveniently, they also tag along with other services. For example, Yoshi offers car wash services, change of oil, tire check and Windshield treatment. These are services that you could have called in a third-party service provider at a higher rate.
- Power of Convenience
There is so much we can talk about how convenient such a service can be. For example, Zebra Fuel notes that in a congested London city, fleet managers waste over 770 driver hours to fill up 15 vehicles two times a week. With such service, it not only saves time but ensures the whole fleet is not inconvenienced while looking of fuel in an area prone to gridlock.
- Allows for Different Paying Methods
A delivery service for gasoline is based on mobile phone technology. This way, it comes with several options of payment including debit, credit and sometimes mobile money payment. You don’t have to worry about using your cash at hand while you can use your credit card or pay them by a check.
- Location Sharing and Proximity
All apps for on-demand delivery of gasoline are equipped with location sharing specifications. This way, the delivery truck is likely to find you on the exact location that you are. This does away with long calls of explanations of your exact location.
Equally, with the location sharing, the service provider can check out the shortest route to deliver your supplies saving you time.
Fuel Delivery Is Convenient and Money-Saving
Technology has changed many industries for the better. For gasoline deliveries, the use of a mobile app helps you get a refill at your convenience. The cost of convenience is negligible compared to the many benefits that you stand to gain.
Major among these benefits is the quality and price of the gas delivered. This is because these companies are backed by big retailers which guarantee quality.
As the concept continues to grow far and wide, the world will soon experience the reduction of the number of gas stations. This is because more people will opt for the on-demand delivery of their gasoline stocks.
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