Google Maps is now showing nearby fuel pump costs, offering a solution as petrol prices continue to rise due to the war in Iran. Starting today, petrol stations will display their locations and prices on the platform.
Accuracy checks on fuel prices
Sarah-Jayne Williams, Google Maps’ product partnership director, said the company will keep checking fuel price data independently to ensure the costs are accurate. ‘Accuracy is very important, so we will still show the petrol station and where it is, but you’ll only see a price if we have high confidence that it’s the right price,’ she said.
Rising fuel costs and emergency plans
This week, the price of diesel reached more than £2 per gallon for the first time. Petrol has soared 41p higher than it was seven months ago, before the war in Iran began. In September, it was reported that emergency fuel shortage plans were unveiled and could soon be brought in. They included ‘diesel rationing’, reducing speed limits to 50mph and priority filling for emergency services and public transport.
Despite widespread worries of further price hikes, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero told Metro late last month that supplies are not an issue. ‘We have a diverse and resilient supply,’ the department said. ‘We continue to engage with our international partners and the UK fuel industry.’
Global impact of the Iran war
Fuel costs are high worldwide due to the impact of the Iran war, ignited when the US and Israel launched surprise attacks in February. The conflict choked off the Strait of Hormuz, a skinny waterway along Iran’s southern coast that once carried more than 20 million barrels of oil a day, roughly one-fifth of the world’s supply. This is why an economic measure of the war has been the jittery cost of crude oil, the fossil fuel used to make petrol and diesel. Despite a ceasefire and many countries releasing oil reserves, the price of oil has not decreased as fast as it rose.
