As part of a real-time fuel price scheme, South Australian petrol retailers will be required to submit their petrol prices to an aggregator, with the data then available for app developers to use.
Motorists will then be able to consult these apps in order to locate the cheapest fuel prices in their area, in a bid to help deliver some relief to the cost of living in South Australia.
The Marshall Liberal Government’s real-time fuel price scheme will run as a two-year trial and is expected to save motorists more than $3 million per year.
As part of the scheme, service stations are required to report any changes in petrol prices within half an hour or risk heavy fines.
Motorists are being encouraged to report service stations to Consumer and Business Services (CBS) if they notice that prices don’t match between the bowser and a fuel price app.
Attorney-General Vickie Chapman said: “This will give motorists purchasing power like never before.”
Service stations that fail to comply could face penalties ranging from a $550 expiation fee to a maximum penalty of $10,000.
Consumer and Business Services Commissioner Dini Soulio says his team will be closely monitoring retailers to ensure they are complying with the new laws.
“In the lead-up to the launch of this scheme, my staff worked closely with retailers to ensure they understand their responsibility,” Commissioner Soulio said.
“We have also commenced a tender process for a data validation service, to ensure accuracy and validity of fuel prices,” he said.