A petrol station boss who slashed fuel prices insists the smiles on his customers' faces have made the generosity worthwhile. Long queues have been forming outside the Limes Service Station in Walkden, Salford, since prices were first cut at 9am on Thursday morning (July 14).
Co-director Hassan Mohammed says a substantial capital investment was put in to cover the costs of cutting fuel, in an attempt to ease the financial strain facing drivers in his community. It meant petrol prices could be cut by as much as 20p per litre off the national average, while diesel costs were cut by almost 15p a litre from the national average, according to figures from Confused.com.
After taking the initial financial hit, Hassan says the business is now 'sustaining itself', with hundreds of happy customers leaving the forecourt with full tanks. "It's gone really well," said Hassan.
"It's been received really well by locals and the general public. It's been great to see that it has made a difference to a lot of people.
"A lot of people have taken advantage of it. They have been happy to make that saving and they have been happy to express their gratitude, which goes both ways."
The garage is still believed to be the cheapest in Greater Manchester and one of the lowest priced in the country. As of Wednesday, the day before Limes Service Station cut its petrol price to 169.9p per litre, the region's cheapest petrol price was 182.9p.
For diesel, the cheapest price in the region was 192p per litre, before Limes Service Station offered the fuel at 185.9p. Hassan admits that not all filling stations will be able to afford to do what Limes Service Station has.
"We've seen a couple of other garages do it in other parts of the country," he said. "It depends on everyone's situation - if they have got a large backlog of fuel at a higher price, for them to try and match what I did... that's a lot of money to put back in.
"I took the hit at first but after that it has sustained itself. I'm just thankful that everything fell in place the way it did.
"It's not so easy for other garages to take that leap of faith and do something that humongous but for me, thankfully, it has paid off. It has been worth it seeing smiling faces - you can't put a price on that."
Hassan is hoping to keep the price cut going for another two weeks at least and then as long as possible. The Limes Service Station, on Manchester Road, is open every day from 6am to 10pm.
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