There are a bevy of new startups that want to eliminate the need for gas stations and deliver fuel straight to your car. But now regulators are raising questions about the safety of such services given that they drive trucks filled with hundreds of gallons of gasoline around residential neighborhoods and underground parking lots.
Bloomberg published a story late Sunday that examines how city staff and fire department officials are concerned with startups like Yoshi, Purple, and Filld that are delivering gas straight to your car.
The main concern revolves around safety, but some of the companies say they are operating legally by following the International Fire Code. Despite requests to cease operations, startups like Filld say they’ll continue to operate — this dilemma sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
Filld investor Noah Doyle told Bloomberg that “you simply have to jump through the hoops with the local authorities to educate them and get them comfortable.”
The services take advantage of smartphone technology, allowing you to request gas with a few buttons and have someone show up soon after to refuel your vehicle. Prices are similar to what you’ll find at the local gas station, with an extra service fee attached.
Among the throng of “Uber for gas delivery” startups is Booster Fuels, which was originally based in Seattle but has since re-located to Silicon Valley after it raised a $9 million funding round from Maveron, Madrona Venture Group, Version One Ventures and RRE Ventures.
Booster Fuels is different than its competitors given that the company operates exclusively on private commercial property, servicing employees at businesses with large office parking lots at corporate campuses — others like Filld and Purple serve residential areas.
“The difference in process is substantial,” Booster Fuels CEO Frank Mycroft told GeekWire on Monday.
Mycroft noted that his company goes through an extensive process before servicing a corporate client. For example, it obtains site maps for each property to ensure Fire Code compliance for spill prevention and response. The company also works with regulators “to ensure a high bar of safety with regard to site location, fueling equipment, professional training,” Mycroft said.
“As a result, we have a perfect safety record and a long track record of success with numerous jurisdictions in multiple states,” he added. “Many cities have been very amenable to working with us where necessary to foster our innovation. They value our benefits to the ADA community, to reducing local road congestion by eliminating trips, in providing a safe alternative to the gas stations, and for the incremental tax revenues provided.”
Mycroft noted that Booster offers a service that is more affordable than many gas stations, while more than half of employees at some of the companies it serves no longer go to the gas station.
“I have yet to meet someone that says, ‘I love going to the gas station,’” Mycroft told GeekWire last year. “This industry hasn’t changed much in a long time. Our goal is to provide a more cost-effective and energy-effective way to get this chore done that doesn’t involve you having to go to the gas station yourself.”
Booster temporarily stopped servicing vehicles in Santa Clara City this past February and is working with the city to receive permitting guidance from the fire marshal for operations to resume.
We’ve reached out to the Seattle Fire Department and the City of Seattle to learn more about how the city plans to regulate these companies. Booster said that it is working closely with the fire department and has formal guidance for how to provide its service safely within pre-determined commercial locations in Seattle.
Purple, meanwhile, is the only service that is live in Seattle thus far.
Editor’s note: This story was updated to reflect that Booster does not serve San Francisco and temporarily stopped service in Santa Clara in February.
