Huge changes at pay at pump

HUGE CHANGES AT PAY-AT-PUMP FUEL AT SUPERMARKETS AND PETROL STATIONS

Supermarkets in the UK will soon start to implement a “hold charge” when customers fill up their vehicles at petrol stations and pay at the pump. In order to guarantee that people have the money they need to make their purchase, retailers will temporarily charge a customer’s debit or credit card up to £100. After collecting payment for the fuel purchased, any unspent funds will be released.

The new payment scheme, which has been trialled at dozens of petrol stations over the last few months, is set to be rolled out to every petrol station in the UK as payment companies Mastercard and Visa have updated their policies. Visa said it had decided to bring in the change to help people "keep an eye on [their] finances]" and Mastercard appears to have followed suit. As stated on the Visa website: “We are changing the way you pay for fuel at selfservice pumps, making it easier to track your finances. Our innovative payment solution means you can make a quick pit stop to fill up your vehicle without entering the shop, and keep control of your budget at the same time.” “In the past, when you used a self-service pump to buy fuel, the exact cost would only show up against your account balance one or two days after you filled up. This could make it hard to track your daily spend. “Soon, the way you pay for fuel at self-service pumps will change. When you insert or tap your card at a self-service pump, your bank will temporarily reserve an amount from your available balance while you fill up. This could be up to £100. But not to worry, once you’ve finished filling up, this will be updated to your bank and you’ll only be charged for the amount you’ve spent.” This comes after hundreds of people took to social media to express their concerns recently that supermarkets were set to introduce new fees for people buying petrol. Some said they feared not being able to buy any fuel, if they didn’t have £100 in their account for a ‘hold charge’.

But Visa has confirmed that this is not the case. People would still be able to fill up, providing they had enough funds in their account for the amount of fuel they were buying.

Mastercard outlined a five-step process for paying for gas at pay-at-the-pump locations. In a statement explaining how Mastercard customers would be affected, it read: "The way you pay for your fuel at an automated fuel pump in the UK is changing. Your card issuer/bank will temporarily reserve up to £99 of your available balance while you fill up. Then, when you have completed fuelling, you’ll be charged for the correct amount of fuel you have used and the remainder of any reserved funds will be released back to your available balance.”

When asked when the process would be implemented at all UK petrol stations, a spokesperson for Visa said online: “The new pay at pump process is already live at many petrol stations and has been for some time – in fact, the service has been available across Europe for more than five years. In the UK, it is already used by many independent petrol stations and rollout is being completed across the major supermarkets... “Previously, basic bank account users were often not able to pay at an automated fuel pump. Pay at pump has been enabled to all cardholders, meaning more drivers can access a more convenient way to pay for fuel and benefit from the new system. When you insert or tap your card at a selfservice pump, your bank will now temporarily reserve an amount from your available balance while you fill up. This could be up to £100 (a standard tank of petrol). Once you’ve finished filling up, this will be updated, and you’ll only be charged for the amount of petrol you bought. The funds-check will never be taken from your account.

If your account balance is below £100, for example £20, this would be communicated back to the fuel pump by your bank enabling that amount of fuel to be dispensed. This means the pump will automatically cut out once you have reached the approved amount (or before if you choose to dispense less). This is called ‘partial authorisation’ and ensures you can get the fuel you need. This should happen almost instantly but occasionally it may take a little longer. Contact your bank if this is not the case. The exact date the change will come into affect has not been confirmed.

BRISTOL BUS CRISIS:

Our bus service has left a lot to be desired for many years, but these last few weeks have been absolutely terrible for thousands of local residents who depend on buses, both here in Brislington and further afield. First, we had the announcement of huge cuts to bus services coming into force this October, including three services, the 36, 96 and 178 here in Brislington. The Metro Mayor, Dan Norris, has highlighted the national and regional shortage of bus drivers as the principal reason for these cuts. In addition, passenger numbers are still below pre-pandemic levels, meaning a loss of revenue for bus operators. Then we heard that the most vulnerable in our city have been left with no service at all after the collapse of the Bristol Dial-a-Ride service. Finally, Bristol Community Transport shut down all of their operations within the city with very little notice. We have written to the Metro Mayor asking that he ensures BCT services are taken over by others and suggesting that he considers taking over Bristol’s Dial-a-Ride service and other BCT services directly. We also asked for more information on the 36 bus route and have been given the following response: “Thank you for your email about the number 36 bus service and the upcoming changes to First Bus timetables from the 9th of October. The 36 will follow its current route from the city centre as far as St Anne’s. From the First Avenue stop, it will turn right onto Newbridge Road (rather than left onto Wick Road as it does now), and rejoin the city-bound route at Feeder Road, forming a one-way loop around St Anne’s. As such, the bus will still serve Guildford Road and Kingfisher School. First Bus will not be operating additional bus routes along Wick Road to replace this curtailment, as the area is still well-served by the number 1 to the city centre, as well as the two local buses (513/514) around Brislington.” Several years ago, there was a huge campaign for more public control of our buses via ‘bus franchising’, meaning we control the routes, timetables and tickets for the benefit of the travelling public and not private shareholders. We were at City Hall when the petition, signed by thousands of Bristolians, was presented to the Council. Unfortunately, the administration at the time declined to support the idea.

More recently, we asked the Metro Mayor if he would back ‘bus franchising’. He told us he preferred an ‘enhanced partnership’ approach with our bus operators, but that still leaves too much decision-making power in the hands of profit-driven, private companies. ‘Bus Franchising’ is the system operated in London and shortly in Manchester.

We have the power to introduce such a system here in Bristol. Maybe it’s time we did so. CLEAN AIR ZONE:

With all the cuts to bus services, this is now looking rather ill-timed, but Bristol City Council will be introducing a Clean Air Zone on Monday 28 November 2022 to reduce harmful pollution from vehicles. Poor air quality has a major impact on the health of everyone in the city and the Clean Air Zone will help tackle this issue and meet government targets for cleaner air in 2023. The zone is in the central area where air quality is poorest. No vehicles will be banned from driving in the zone, but older and more polluting vehicles will have to pay a daily charge to drive in the zone. 71 per cent of vehicles already meet the zone’s emission standards. The council is offering financial support and advice to help people upgrade their vehicles or switch to a cleaner way of travelling. Get ready for Bristol’s Clean Air Zone by following three easy steps: • go to the government’s clean air zone pages to check if your vehicle will be charged: https://www.gov.uk/cleanair-zones

• check the interactive map to see how the zone affects you: https://www.bristol.gov.uk/ residents/streets-travel/bristols-caz/view-amap

• find out if you are eligible for financial support: https://www.bristol.gov.uk/residents/ streets-travel/bristols-caz/financial-support or an exemption: https://www.bristol.gov.uk/ residents/streets-travel/bristols-caz/ exemptions HERE’S SOME MORE USEFUL INFORMATION:

BCC have a roadshow organised for September 14th from 11am-3pm at Sainsbury’s, Whitby Road BCC have launched a range of Sustainable Travel Offers (free bus tickets, Voi scooter credit, car club credit and more): https://www. bristol.gov.uk/residents/streets-travel/bristols-caz/get-free-active-travel-support BCC have community grants and business grants specifically to promote active travel for residents and communities: https://travelwest.info/for-communities and for businesses: https://travelwest.info/for-businesses Unfortunately, some of our newly planted trees in Brislington West didn’t survive the hot, dry summer, including one in our new avenue of trees on Callington Road, a street tree on Hampstead Road and many of the whips planted to form a perimeter hedge in Arnos Court Park. The good news is, they will all be replaced, hopefully during this winter’s planting season. This season we are also hoping to get new trees for Talbot Road and West Town Lane. Local residents will be consulted before planting commences. LIBRARY UPDATE:

Bristol City Council will be rolling out new Windows 10 computers to replace the current computers across the library network this September, including Wick Road Library. This will be done while the libraries are closed to avoid disruption to the public.

HOME FIRE SAFETY MONTH:

It’s Home Fire Safety Month and Avon Fire and Rescue are encouraging local people to use a new online tool to access free, dedicated fire safety advice for their homes. You can take the short questionnaire to keep your home fire safe here: https://www.safelincs.co.uk/hfsc/?ref=AVNFR

Hundreds of Brislington West residents have signed up to receive our monthly newsletter via email. You can register using this link: http://www.bristollibdems.org/efocus.

By Jos Clark, Liberal Democrat Councillor (Brislington West) Email: cllr.jos.clark@bristol.gov.uk Mobile: 07584 370429

& Andrew Varney, Liberal Democrat Councillor (Brislington West) Email: cllr.andrew.varney@bristol.gov.uk Mobile: 07584 183381