Clean toilet more important than quick refuelling at service area
Neat toilets and location have much more influence on the choice of a service station than the ability to fill up quickly and the brand of the station. Also, people are willing to make a 2 kilometre or five-minute detour if the refuelling or charging is a few euros cheaper as a result. This and more emerged from a poll of over 1,600 visitors to service stations by I&O Research.
That poll was already conducted in the first half of 2023 but the results have only now been published. The research firm says the findings are representative of Dutch people aged 18 and over. Additional respondents were also found among truck drivers so that insights could also be gained among that group of service station users. Of those surveyed, 72 per cent drive a fossil-fueled car, 7 per cent drive hybrid, 4 per cent drive electric and 11 per cent drive a truck.
Back on the road within 15 minutes
Two thirds of those surveyed visit a service station on the road less than three times a year, 28 per cent do so monthly and 6 per cent more than once a week. One in five truckers visit a location where they can refuel, eat, drink and use the toilet every week. Most people who only come to refuel, load or want to use the toilets continue on their way within 15 minutes. If people also come for something to eat, they pull out a maximum of half an hour for their visit.
“Neat toilets and location have the most influence on choice of service station. Being able to refuel/charge quickly (at an unmanned pump) and the brand of fuel/chain play the least role. Among EV drivers, being able to charge quickly does play a major role,” the researchers explain their findings. “Detours (2 kilometres or five minutes) to fill up or recharge more cheaply are done on average for a price difference of 6.10 euros. With hybrid (4.50 euros), the price difference is smallest, followed by electric (5.50 euros) and cars on petrol, diesel or gas (5.80 euros). The biggest price difference is with truck drivers at 9.90 euros.”
Remote locations
Opinions are divided on social safety at service stations. However, it is notable that EV drivers and truck drivers generally perceive it as worse. According to I&O Research, this may be because the loading facilities are often in remote locations and because truckers spend more time at the sites resting and sleeping, so they also experience more of what goes on there.
