By the end of 2006, there were some 75 On the Run service stations in the UK, all offering a comfortable café environment in which to enjoy a quality range of hot drinks, freshly prepared snacks and friendly service. By the end of 2007, all On the Run service stations in the UK will be fitted with ‘Pay at the Pump’ technology, which should keep the lines of people waiting at the till to a minimum.
This is a key aspect of enhancing Esso’s customer offer. Fuel-only customers can fill up and leave quickly, and in-store queues will be reduced for people who want to buy items from the shop. It is also a real bonus to mums and dads who don’t want to leave young children in their cars while they pay inside. ‘Pay at the Pump’ was piloted at four service stations around Surrey in the summer of 2006, and was rolled out to a further ten sites around the south-east in early 2007.
Feedback from customers has been positive, and all On the Run sites in the UK will be upgraded throughout 2007. Esso worked closely with its pump supplier who manufactures the units, and the system was changed in response to customer needs a couple of times before it was finalized. (petrolplaza.com)



