Gas stations to use online bill system
Leony Aurora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The following is the fourth and final article dedicated in anticipation of the liberalization of the country's downstream oil and gas sector later this year.
Philemon stepped out of his Toyota Kijang at a gasoline station in Tebet, South Jakarta, asked for Rp 50,000 (US$4.9) of diesel fuel and waited for the pump attendant to fill up the tank.
When he asked for the bill, the attendant pointed to a small dispenser and the bill came out, nicely printed with the date, time and purchase in liters and in rupiah.
"My first thought was 'Wow, it's cool...'," his wife Gaby said.
In many countries, such a system is as common as gasoline stations. But here, a bill is usually a strip of paper with the amount scribbled on it.
A computerized bill at a gasoline station, however, is more than just something cool.
"The data can be recorded directly into a system," said the Downstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Agency's (BPH Migas) director of fuel products, Adi Subagyo Subono, recently.
BPH Migas, which after November will take over Pertamina's role in ensuring that subsidized fuel is distributed across the country, is proposing to apply an online, real time system to monitor fuel distribution.
In the agency's plan, each fuel depot, fuel tanker and gasoline station will have a smart card identification (SCI) to record the amount of fuel coming in and out.
"The data will be entered automatically to a server of an independent surveyor," said Adi, referring to an independent entity, which will be assigned to audit fuel sales in volume.
Private cars and public buses might use different cards that record the volume bought, just in case the government decides to ration fuel, he added.
Aside from the SCI, fuel tankers will also have a global positioning system (GPS) that can monitor and record their movement from depots to gasoline stations or major industries.
At present, tankers often stray from their routes and "leak" out their contents to willing buyers. As kerosene, premium gasoline and diesel fuel are subsidized by the government and retail at less than half of their market prices, fuel distribution in Indonesian is also highly prone to smuggling.
"With a computerized system we can thoroughly monitor fuel sales and distribution," said Adi.
Chairman of the Indonesian Software Association Djarot Subiantoro said although such a system was simple, it would be expensive to apply due to the vastness of the archipelago and difficult topography.
"The technology is common. The implementation, however, which involves adjusting and training human resources, will take a long time," he said, citing another possible challenge.
To minimize costs and facilitate the transition, Djarot suggested that BPH Migas cooperate with existing systems, such as banks or the network used by the General Elections Committee (KPU) last year.
In a bid to provide quick preliminary data to determine election winners, KPU built a Rp 200 billion network, connecting 4,842 points from east to west in less than a year.
BPH Migas has yet to calculate the funds needed to connect all fuel retail points in the country. At present, Pertamina distributes fuel through some 2,600 gasoline stations.
"We hope to be able to see the system in operation within one year," said Adi.
New players, such as Petronas and Shell, that want to take part in distributing subsidized fuel after November must prepare for such a system.
"We will give some time for Pertamina as it already has a wide network," said Adi.
From that moment on, Gaby and Philemon will be able to find the "cool" system elsewhere other than their favorite gasoline station in Tebet.