Fuel Shortages and Rental Cars

According to the BBC "some 1,600 of France's 12,000 petrol stations had either run dry or were running short of supplies by late Monday morning.". Report here: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36358300
But, such thing's change from day to day, and 2 weeks is enough time for it all to have blown over, and a different crisis started.
Things always sound worse from a distance, I wouldn't let it affect my holiday.

I sure wouldn't want to be stranded on the side of a road with an empty tank while paying for my rental vehicle to just sit. Take the train where ever you need to go. I was in France DECADES ago with a rental car which used unleaded gas and unleaded was HORRIBLY difficult to find during that time. We went from station to station buying the last drops of bleifrei (unleaded) at each place. It was nerve wracking and I don't EVER want to do that again.

When we were in France in 2000 there was a strike of fuel haulers that impacted the gas stations. It lasted about three days, and fortunately we were spending four days in Luxembourg and Belgium. By the time we went back into France the strike was over and we had no further problems. IME strikes in France are fairly short. Once they have made their point, they go back to work.

When I drove from Brugge/Bruges to Calais yesterday I noticed that the Belgian petrol stations had raised their prices overnight by €0.10 to €0.15 a litre and when I looked around Calais there were long queues at the few petrol stations which still had supplies.

I saw one Total station on rue de Bologne which the only the one with any supplies in that area of Calais, and at least 4 empty others. There were queued cars all the way several hundred metres down the road, and all the way around the roundabout where 3 lines were merging in. It took me a long time to go down the road because although I wasn't going to buy fuel it was hard to get around the roundabout.

The only fuel the Total was selling was the premium line of diesel (at about €0.30 per litre above what they would have sold the normal diesel for if they had had any) and a super premium unleaded at some extremely high price. They may have been rationing but I don't know.

The Carrefour was all out, the Auchan had no diesel at all and only one pump of unleaded.

That's only a snapshot in one area. YMMV, and probably will do.

I remember the last fuel strike. I was in Paris at the time and I remember that it was not a short one.

We're driving in the Southwestern part of the country--Bordeaux, Dordogne, Toulouse. There is no shortage here as of now.

So far, most of the shortages have been caused by drivers who are going to buy up fuel in anticipation of a possible shortage. That is, there's not a structural shortage as such, but the supply chain couldn't keep up with the peak in demand in places. Things are better than the first of the week in the west and the north, while still a bit difficult in Paris and Provence/Rhone Alpes.

In accordance with EU regulations, France has a reserve equivalent to three months' average usage in 2015. And so far, while workers at 6 of France's 8 refineries are on strike, the depots are still available (and while protesters have blockaded some of the depots, the government has been reopening them by force). And of course, land and sea shipments can still arrive (while the dockworkers are not on long-term strike that is!). The good news is that the truck drivers to transport whatever fuel there is are NOT on strike.

This is of course an evolving situation and anything can happen, and while a person in any specific situation -- like Nigel -- can run into a place with lines and shortages, the overall picture is not so grim as watching the news (with LINES! LINES! at gas stations) or reading some press would lead you to believe.

Of course that's cold comfort if you ARE the person who has difficulty finding fuel on a particular day!!

I hope the situation will have improved by the time you are here, but the most militant government is trying to pressure the government in particular by making things difficult during the running of the Euro Cup (football/soccer championships) to be held throughout France from June 10- July 10. That union has a dominant position in the refineries and so has the capability to keep the pressure on, particularly in this sector. But with the reserves and depots scattered all over France, it will be a while before there is any real crisis or shortage here.

Kim,

So coming Monday my plan is to drive from Belgium through Northern France (Lille – Arras – Amiens – Rouen) to Normandy and Brittany I will face no serious problems as far as you can see now. Maybe I have to deal with some convenience and fill up fuel more times smaller amounts as usual, right?

Hi Wil -- You may well face a difficulty fueling up here and there, but maybe not. You're going to be a source of info for the rest of us.

This article in Le Figaro links to an app that supposedly keeps up with where fuel is available and where there are shortages. I haven't heard anything about how 'timely" it is.

http://www.lefigaro.fr/conjoncture/2016/05/27/20002-20160527ARTFIG00052-va-t-on-manquer-d-essence-ce-week-end.php

(You can check the interactive map right there on their site for information without downloading the app.)

It's pretty easy to understand -- red/orange for "pénurie" (shortages, either by map or by list) -- more intensely colored areas are seeing more shortages -- and green for réapprovisionnements (refueling options).

Thanks a lot Kim, you are a great help! I have seen similar maps on the “europe1” website a few days ago and the “Carte des stations” under the “Informations pénurie” tap looks better (I guess), lesser orange. I think it will be doable and I will enter France with a full fuel tank and see what will happen, so fingers crossed. Can say more next weekend when hopefully be back home after an enjoyable week in France and hopefully the fuel problems will be solved.

Wil.

Wil,

regardless of the strikes in France, earlier this week and last week I saw that, unusually, Belgian diesel prices were lower by a few cents than French. Usually I find the opposite.

Of course in the Netherlands you have prices like us here in the UK. You must love filling up in Belgium.

I was looking at diesel at around €1.10/l earlier in the week.

Do you have the Carbeo app?

I've never found a good fuel price app for Belgium. Do you know of one? Or do I need two, one in each language?

We are in the Loire Valley right now. We have passed many stations with fuel. The woman at Hertz in Tours warned us about fuel but tonight (Saturday) we found stations around Chinon with no problem. The station where we got gas also took a US credit card with no problem. Even the French people don't know that there may not be any problems!

Nigel

Luckely living so close to the Belgian border I absolutely love to fill the tank with euro 95 gasoline there, price difference always at least €0,25/L (diesel around €0,10/L). Gas stations at our side of the border have ofcourse very hard times.

Have to admit I am hopelessly oldfashioned and – ‘Allo ‘Allo! I shall say this only once – (already in the French mood) still have no.......smartphone, but start to see the benefits more and more and soon I will have one.

For fuel prices you can have a look at the Belgian website but is only in Flemish or French, Carbu is the Flemish version of Carbeo: http://belgie.carbu.com/index.php/route Under “Bekijk de tankstations op uw route” (Look at gas stations on your route) Startplaats = Start / Bestemming = Destination / Votre carburant = Fuel and Toon de route = Show route, you can find the gas stations with the prices.

Under pulldown menu Tankstations you can find Mobile Apps. As you can see this website shows also the prices in France and Luxembourg, so in two languages.

Thanks K2 my plan is to visit Chinon this week too, so welcome info!

That's a good one, Wil.

It is nice that it shows the neighboring countries as well. That €0,935 is why I route via Luxembourg. I also like that all Luxembourg prices are so close to the official price I don't worry about stopping at the large service areas although I dislike the long cigarette queues.

But be that as it is .... I hope you have a good time on your trip. You have helped me with so many of mine... (thanks if I've never said so)