Ahead of Fuel Price Hike, Drivers Begin Filling Up Tanks

JAKARTA – Ahead of the scheduled adjustment to fuel (BBM) prices effective from 1 April 2026 at 00.00 WIB, conditions at several Pertamina petrol stations remain relatively under control. Although news of the price increase has been circulating, vehicle queues have not shown a significant surge during the daytime. Observations at the Pertamina COCO SPBU Margonda 31.164.01, Kemiri Muka, Beji, Depok, revealed fairly sparse queues of motorcycles. There were only about 1–2 motorcycles at the two available dispensers on Tuesday afternoon (31/3/2026). “I heard it’s going up tomorrow? I might as well fill up the tank,” said Deni, one of the car users refuelling at the Margonda SPBU, when asked by Kompas.com (31/3/2026). Ade, another car user queuing at the same station, echoed the sentiment. He deliberately came during the day to avoid the crowds expected at night. Conditions were slightly different at the Pertamina COCO SPBU Gandaria 31.137.01, Pekayon, Pasar Rebo, East Jakarta. At this location, vehicle queues were observed to be quite busy, though still within reasonable limits. The abundance of dispensers kept motorcycle queues manageable, ranging from 2–5 units. Meanwhile, car queues, particularly for Pertalite refuelling, reached about five vehicles at each dispenser. According to staff at the site, the surge in visitors actually occurred in the morning. The afternoon remained controlled. “It’s not too busy this afternoon. It was busier this morning, probably because people were heading to work. It might get busy again tonight,” said one of the Pertamina Gandaria SPBU staff (31/3/2026). A potential increase in queues is anticipated as evening approaches and nears the time the price adjustment takes effect.