Austalia: Caltex Woolworths to Roll Out Epumps (Update 2)

Seven Caltex Woolworths co-branded fuel outlets are the first in the country to try new technology which allows petrol payments to be made at the pump. The epump solution has been supported by suppliers OTI and Gilbarco.

Seven Caltex Woolworths co-branded fuel outlets  began using the epump system. It will be rolled out across the country to 300 service stations later this month if the trial goes well. Customers will need to sign up for compatible credit cards to use the system. To pay at the pump they will need to hold the card in front of the epump reader, enter a PIN and then fill their car.

Woolworths Petrol general manager Ramnik Narsey said most people won´t have to remove their card from their wallet or purse to complete the transaction. "Epump will  help reduce congestion in the service station forecourt and reduce queueing time to pay in store," Mr Narsey said.  Referring to last weeks 3rd qtr  report, Woolworths said petrol sales fell with the slump in prices. That depressed the overall sales rise to 5.9%. But excluding petrol, sales rose 9%, seasonally adjusted, on a topline basis.

The contactless reader from On Track Innovations, has been selected to support its ePump initiative for payment at its service stations.  OTI’s reader and its personalization services have been integrated into the FlexPay Control System for Fuel Dispensers supplied by  Gilbarco Veeder-Root.

The pay-at-the-pump solution provides petroleum retailers with the ability to cost effectively upgrade their infrastructure to accept contactless payments. It also allows existing Gilbarco Veeder-Root customers to upgrade their pumps to accept contactless payments.

The ePump feature is part of Woolworths’ Everyday Money credit card that provides its customers a way of refueling their vehicles at over 300 participating Caltex Woolworths/Safeway co-branded fuel outlets across Australia using the card’s contactless feature.

PetrolWorld 170409