Urges Southeast gas stations to update station information to aid customers in Hurricane Irma’s path.
During a press conference on Thursday morning, Florida Governor Rick Scott urged state residents to consider using apps and other online resources such as Gas Buddy, among others, to help them find fuel during Hurricane Irma.
A Gas Buddy spokesperson noted its support lines have been ringing off the hook with Florida residents calling to ask where fuel is available amid gas outages.
GasBuddy is calling on large retail gasoline chains to update their critical station information for free via GasBuddy during Hurricane Irma.
Large retail chains are defined as those with more than 200 locations.
These retail chains can access and edit their information for free via GasBuddy Business Pages, the company’s B2B Retailer Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). GasBuddy is making this service available for free for a limited time covering the duration of Hurricane Irma. Interested chains can access the system by contacting [email protected]
Critical information that GasBuddy recommends retail gasoline chains keep updated and accurate are:
1) Hours of operation
2) Availability of fuel
3) Price of motor fuels
4) Power outages
5) Other available essential services at these stations
The GasBuddy app proved critical during Hurricane Harvey when record numbers of motorists downloaded and utilized the app over the one-week period that covered Labor Day weekend and beyond; and was utilized by federal and local governments to assess the situation in gasoline terms.
Smaller Chains
For retail fuel chains that are smaller than 200 locations, or single-store operations, accurate store information can be updated through GasBuddy’s consumer-facing Fuel Availability Tracker. Here is how the Tracker works:
When a consumer is near a station that has no gas or power, the GasBuddy app will automatically display NO GAS or NO POWER next to the station on the list screen, and the station will be highlighted in red on the map screen.
Consumers are encouraged to report the status – “Has Fuel,” No Fuel,” or “No Power” – at any gas station to help others. This tool is also available on the web via http://tracker.gasbuddy.com.
GasBuddy will continue to send proactive push notifications to consumers on gas price statuses in affected areas.