Bangkok: The gas station is packed as people line up to fill up their tanks fearing a price surge. People rushed to fill up their gas tanks amid rumors of rising prices. Many drivers brought their own tanks to stock up, but gas stations refused to fill them, fearing insufficient supply to meet demand.
According to Thai News Agency, reporters surveyed gas stations in the Vibhavadi Rangsit area, a busy thoroughfare with gas stations lining both sides of the road. They observed that a private yellow-colored gas station, which recently announced price increases for gasoline and diesel, was almost deserted, with very few customers. This contrasted sharply with PTT gas stations, where vehicles continuously streamed in and out of the station throughout the afternoon and evening to refuel. At times, queues extended to the outside entrance, with some drivers leaving for other stations. Throughout the reporting session, employees were constantly observed filling up their tanks with various types of vehicles, with no breaks.
When asked, employees said that the massive influx of people filling up their tanks has been happening since yesterday and continued into today. Today, in particular, news broke that private gas stations were gradually raising fuel prices, causing a continuous stream of vehicles coming and going since early morning. Some employees even joked that they wanted to go home because they had barely had a break. Employees also reported that yesterday, many vehicles tried to fill their tanks with fuel to stockpile it, and similar attempts occurred today. However, employees informed customers that they would not be allowed to fill their tanks with fuel due to concerns about potential fuel shortages. Therefore, they requested that customers only fill their vehicles with fuel starting today.
While interviewing several customers, they all said the same thing: after seeing news about the conflict in the Middle East and the alarmingly high price increases at private gas stations, they rushed to fill up their tanks. One delivery driver explained that after seeing the news, he ordered his subordinates to fill up all their vehicles because he was uneasy about the fighting in the Middle East. Furthermore, the government's statement that there would be enough fuel for the country for at least 60 days, coupled with his own diesel usage, put him at risk. He wasn't sure if prices would continue to rise in the meantime, so he felt he needed to protect himself as best he could to avoid impacting his livelihood, which relies heavily on fuel. Regarding the private gas stations that increased diesel prices by 1.80-4.20 baht, he felt it was excessive and that gradual price increases, as had been the case in the past, were necessary because the subsequent price drops were very small compared to the initial increas e.
Meanwhile, another female customer stated that she was skeptical of the government's claim that there would be enough fuel to meet domestic demand for at least 60 days. She argued that 60 days would be a very short time, and she wanted the government to provide more reassurance to those who rely on fuel for their daily lives.