If you live in the UK you'll know just how high fuel prices can be. It's one of the reasons that some people have already switched to electric vehicles, but with so many traditional diesel and unleaded vehicles still on the road, it's going to be some time before fuel stations are a thing of the past. This means UK drivers need to find a way to save money wherever possible — and that's where the Roadtrip app comes in.
Having initially launched in New Zealand, Roadtrip has now brought its particular brand of price-checking and route-planning to the UK with an iPhone app that promises to help people save money by providing the cheapest journeys. It does that by checking real-time prices at big-name fuel pumps based on where you want to go and then offers recommendations on how you might want to go about doing that.
Founders Ben Robertson and Emory Fierlinger say that they're now bringing Roadtrip to the UK's App Store "in response to overwhelming demand," and given the price of fuel it's easy to see why that might be the case.
Time to get moving
In a press release received by iMore, the developers say that they received comments on a viral TikTok video asking for the app to be released to the UK — and now it's here.
“Based on the huge demand we saw, we immediately began work on the UK version, and after months of dedication, we're thrilled to finally release it today," Fierlinger said. "We're so excited to bring Roadtrip to such a large audience in the UK, especially at a time when the cost of living is a challenge for so many."
So what does Roadtrip actually do?
In the simplest terms, Roadtrip shows the 10 cheapest fuel stations along a route and helps drivers save cash along the way. "Using this data, Roadtrip shows which route would be the cheapest to drive, so you can decide if the scenic route is worth the extra petrol cost, for example," the company says. It does that by asking the driver for their car's registration number and then tailoring its responses to match their vehicle.
Roadtrip is also designed to help find the cheapest prices using real-time pricing data at more than 4,000 stations across the UK. Retailers like BP, Tesco, Shell, Sainsbury’s, and others are all compared with prices updated instantly using the UK government's Pumpwatch scheme.
"For us it's about providing a tool that can make a real difference in how people can save money on petrol day to day." says Fierlinger. "Our mission is to help drivers make informed decisions about their travel costs, ultimately leading to massive savings over time".
Whether you're setting off on vacation or just want to make sure you're getting the best prices on fuel for your daily commute, Roadtrip could well be the app you didn't know that you needed.
If that all sounds like something you could make use of, you can download Roadtrip from the App Store right now. It's a free download while the Roadtrip Pro subscription is available with support for adding unlimited vehicles, unlimited calculations, and the ability to add multiple stops to your journey. Roadtrip Pro costs $0.99 per month while an annual payment option is also available.
