Johannesburg - If you drive a diesel vehicle you’re already saving money on fuel costs, and a new South African-developed smartphone app could help you save even more.
With the retail price of diesel being unregulated, pump tariffs can vary by as much as R1 per litre, and the free android PitStops app from the Google Play Store tells where drivers can fill up with diesel at the best price.
All the driver has to do is input the preferred diesel grade and tank capacity, and the app is ready to roll. PitStops works in conjunction with GPS, first to identify the driver's precise location, and next to list fuel outlets within a pre-defined radius.
‘Locate fuel station’ brings up a list of stations, headed by the outlet offering the best price. Each entry gives the outlet’s name and brand, distance to the pumps, how much cash can be saved by refuelling there, and finally the price per litre of the preferred grade of diesel.
Next step: click on the chosen outlet, and up comes a map with the shortest route there.
Results can be surprising, says PitStops originator, Randburg-based Diederik van’t Hof.
A recent PitStops test at Touws River in the Western Cape displayed four outlets on-screen. The top listing offered a R65 saving for filling the tank of a Toyota Fortuner with 80 litres of 50ppm diesel.
“Next day at Beaufort West, a total of 11 stations, including truck stops, came on-screen,” says Van’t Hof. “The saving here amounted to R108. Transposed to filling up weekly, that’s more than R5600 a year saved – easily the cost of one monthly vehicle finance payment.”
The PitStops App depends on interactive user input for updating, in much the same way as the popular navigation app Waze, or the Maps app on iPhones.
Likewise, fuel station owners have the ability to check data posted for their own outlets and advertise any special services on offer. The free version of PitStops is downloadable from the Google Play Store and presently operates on android cellphones, with an iPhone version under development.
Further information at www.pitstops.co.za
Star Motoring