You're gonna lose your jobs!

[Slave to the Phone]

While I certainly don't want to de-rail the flying discussion, and please continue, its fascinating to someone who has never been in the biz...

I do want to mention a gas station here that was unmanned for several years. It was about a mile away, the attached store was closed and barred, CC at the pumps only.

The gas was rather expensive and I only had to go there a few times. The equipment always seemed to be working OK, the air pump had an "Out of Order" sign, but the trash cans were always overflowing and sometimes knocked or blown over with litter all over, no windshield washing supplies and due to the fact that it was out in the middle of nowhere without a restroom, there was a very strong smell of both human and pet waste.

As far as I know, the actual gas pumping equipment wasn't damaged that much if you ignore the pump handles we would find on the road. (actually, not just handles, the hose would be attached as well. If not for the hose banging on the car the SC probably wouldn't have noticed before getting on the highway.)

Now, please go back to the unmanned planes (and I certainly wouldn't fly on one...I wouldn't ride in a driverless bus or car either.)

[Ironclad Alibi]

Mention has been made of Isaac Asimov's Robot stories. His robots follow the three laws of robotics that he devised. Most of his robot stories are about how things go wrong even when the robots do follow the three laws. And the robots we use these days don't have the three laws to guide them.

[mhkohne]

Reminds me of the customers who fondly think that so called "unmanned" petrol stations are employee free, when doing so would simply result in a smoking ruin. In fact, those petrol stations are monitored by CCTV, with the staff watching the cameras with shut off buttons nearby, cuz humans just can't be trusted around flammable stuff.

That's why in many US States unattended retail fuel stations are expressly forbidden. You can run them for private use (for fueling your fleet of trucks) but you can't sell fuel to random idiots that way.

[Ironclad Alibi]

That's why in many US States unattended retail fuel stations are expressly forbidden. You can run them for private use (for fueling your fleet of trucks) but you can't sell fuel to random idiots that way.

Out of curiosity, which states beside Oregon* and New Jersey require this?


* I think I recall reading on here that Oregon requires this, but maybe I'm confusing it with no sales tax.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

That's why in many US States unattended retail fuel stations are expressly forbidden. You can run them for private use (for fueling your fleet of trucks) but you can't sell fuel to random idiots that way.

Out of curiosity, which states beside Oregon* and New Jersey require this?


* I think I recall reading on here that Oregon requires this, but maybe I'm confusing it with no sales tax.

Oregon and New Jersey don't allow self-service fueling stations IIRC.

What mhkohne might be talking about is something that was in my city for a while; a row of gas pumps but no convenience store or cashier booth to go with them. You paid by card. It was built by some ethanol company, then was sold to some gas station chain, and now I think it's been torn down.

[RealUnimportant]

I've used an unstaffed petrol station in Belgium, it was neat & tidy so I assume that they had someone come around regularly to check on it.

[dalesys]

I remember Gasamats. You'd buy $1 tokens for the pump so you could get gas outside of normal business hours. None of that 24/7 perviness here, nosiree!

It was quite a shock when some outsiders started opening at 7AM and not closing till 11PM. We still had to drive ten miles to the Miniature Market (33rd S & 3rd E) when our little buddy, Gollum, got the munchies at 4AM.

[mhkohne]

Oregon and New Jersey don't allow self-service fueling stations IIRC.

What mhkohne might be talking about is something that was in my city for a while; a row of gas pumps but no convenience store or cashier booth to go with them. You paid by card. It was built by some ethanol company, then was sold to some gas station chain, and now I think it's been torn down.

That's correct - I was discussing stations with NO ONE on site, as opposed to someone in in a little booth. In both cases you have to pump it yourself, but the 'no one there' case is illegal in many places, while the 'guy in a booth' case is legal almost everywhere.

[Ironclad Alibi]

That's correct - I was discussing stations with NO ONE on site, as opposed to someone in in a little booth. In both cases you have to pump it yourself, but the 'no one there' case is illegal in many places, while the 'guy in a booth' case is legal almost everywhere.

I took "unattended" to mean no self service. I now see the difference.

[emax4]

"Then what will you do with your time used to belittle everyone just to make your pitiful self feel better?"

[Lace Neil Singer]

Over here, there has to be two people on site at all times. Which causes a few problems when a colleague goes off sick and there isn't anyone trained to take their place; management usually are so desperate to keep the petrol station open, that they send an untrained person over. Who can't do anything, cept just sit there like a lemon, and get harassed by customers who think that they should be doing something.

[raw1989]

^ we have no one at the pumps here only people inside now u might see them outside cleaning or filling the buckets to wash your windshield off with but that's about as far as that goes.

[Lace Neil Singer]

All petrol stations over here are self service; don't know if there's any in England at all who have pump attendants. Shame really, as it might cut down on customer stupidity (this week alone, I have had three people trying to jump start their cars on the forecourt, four people trying to use mobiles and one smoker!)

[greek_jester]

All petrol stations over here are self service; don't know if there's any in England at all who have pump attendants.

Actually, my mum's village has one. They're a private company who run coach tours, and they have pumps out front. I assume it's something that got grandfathered in; they're one of the country's oldest coach tour companies, and back when they started it was probably easier to have their own pumps rather than go to the nearest national chain (they were very few and far between, which tells you a bit about how old the company is!)

The staff will pump the fuel and take the money. It's slightly more expensive, but as my mum is disabled and my stepdad is dying it's easier on him to have someone else do it, rather than struggle out of the car and over to pay.

[Zeddi]

Here in Germany nearly all stations are self-service.
Completely unmanned stations are also common, especially smaller ones in the countryside.

Also a hybrid-type is not uncommon: During normal hours you have to pay at a real worker in a shop or so, after hours you can pay with your card, sometimes even with cash directly at the pump or at a "pay station" near the pump.

Normally most stations are clean.