Gas stations to use online bill system
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.