the essential While the price of gasoline has fluctuated a lot in recent months in France, a discount of 30 cents will be implemented by the government from this Thursday, September 1st. Good news for the wallet of the French. On this Thursday, September 1, the discount of 18 cents on the price of fuel at the pump set up by the government last April is reduced to 30 cents. A reduction that could be good for morale and for the wallet. To benefit from this rebate, nothing could be simpler, you can go to each service station in France since they are all concerned and the rebate is valid for all fuels. “The discounted prices are displayed both on the totems and on the prices at the pump. The amount of the reduction is specified on the receipts”, explains the government site. The average price of diesel varying between 1.94 and 2 euros in Haute-Garonne, could now be around 1.60 euros. This new rebate could lead to a rush to service stations. Indeed, according to Francis Pousse, national president of service stations at Mobilians (ex-CNPA which brings together automotive professionals), “some informed drivers were waiting for this reduction to stock up on fuel. It is even likely that we have less volume in recent days because of it,” he explains. An opinion shared by Philippe Charlez, expert in energy issues for the Sapiens Institute. According to him, “the price of fuel provokes an epidermal reaction in the consumer who is directly confronted with the prices displayed on the pump.” Problem: Stored fuel may not be available everywhere today. Inequalities in service stations “We do not know if we will be delivered in time to exercise the discount”, worries Francis Pousse, the representative of service stations. “No one will have fuel stored at thirty cents today. It’s impossible to empty all the stations in France and replenish them in one day,” he explains. Result: strong inequalities could be felt between the different types of stations. “When supermarkets can be delivered once or twice a day, small rural stations could wait a fortnight to be able to supply themselves with stored fuel. There may be a few days of waiting!”, warns the expert. Moreover, not all service stations are created equal. Total will exercise a discount of 50 cents by adding a reduction of 20 cents to that of the government. “For the little ones among us, this risks creating a big gap and having dramatic consequences,” he explains. Degressive reduction For its part, the government announced that aid of 3,000 to 6,000 euros would still be allocated to the smallest service stations “depending on the volume of fuel sold, to deal with the gap between the price of stored fuel and the cost of acquiring the fuel remaining in their tanks.” This exceptional discount of 30 cents per liter will be in effect until November 1, 2022. Then, the discount will drop to 10 euro cents per liter until December 31, 2022. According to Philippe Charlez, a new rush could occur just before these deadlines. “Consumers are more likely to throw themselves into the stations in November during the new price increase. Psychologically, fuel price variations are very sensitive!”, he explains.