Many drivers have complained about high gas prices, but new figures show consumers might not always get what they’re paying for thanks to faulty gas pumps.
Government agency Measurement Canada tested gas pumps over a two-and-a-half-year period, starting in 2009. It just released the results that say six per cent of all pumps tested are not releasing as much fuel as they should be. The discrepancies are costing consumers $8 million a year.
And the problem isn’t new.
Three years ago, Global National and the Ottawa Citizen conducted their own investigation, with similar results. One in 20 (five per cent) inspected pumps gave motorists less gas than they paid for, and one in 58 (1.7 per cent) pumps short-changed the retailer.
For every 20 litres of gas, a pump is allowed to be off by 100 millitres. But the May 2008 probe discovered many Canadian pumps were off by almost double that amount – if not more.
After our report aired three years ago, Ottawa pledged tough action. In 2010, new legislation was introduced – promising mandatory inspections and tougher fines for gas bars with problematic pumps.
However, the rules still aren’t in effect, and officials say it could be another year before that happens.
With files from Peter Harris and Jacques Bourbeau
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