At gas stations, live queues usually form while waiting to refuel. But it is worth remembering that some citizens have the right to priority service. Let's recall all federal benefit categories and private options, and also generally figure out how to avoid queues at gas stations.
At the federal level, the law establishes only one category of citizens who have the right to priority service at gas stations: people with disabilities. According to paragraph 1 of Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 1157 dated October 2, 1992, the following citizens have this right:
It is worth considering that gas stations are not specifically listed in the benefits list, but they are certainly included: paragraph 1 states that "Group I and II disabled persons, disabled children and persons accompanying such children are served out of turn at trade enterprises and other organizations serving the population." Since gas stations are engaged in the retail sale of fuel, they belong to trade enterprises.
To receive the benefit, you need to prove the fact of disability by providing:
Disability certificates – both paper and electronic – do not have a photo, so a passport or other identity document is needed to confirm the match between the certificate and its bearer.
It is also worth noting that persons accompanying a disabled child have the right to priority service only if the child is in the car. The status of guardian or accompanying person alone does not grant the right to priority service.
The law does not directly establish that the car must be registered to the disabled person – the benefit is granted to the citizen, not the car. Therefore, it is not necessary to prove ownership or install a special "Disabled" sign on the vehicle.
It is worth considering that the benefit applies to receiving the service out of turn, but not to other conditions. For example, if a gas station has restrictions on the volume of fuel dispensed per person, these also apply to benefit categories of citizens.
In addition to federal law, different regions may have regional laws establishing benefits for other categories of citizens – for example, veterans of the Great Patriotic War, as well as vehicles of emergency, road maintenance, and utility services. In such cases, it is worth remembering that these benefits apply within the territory of the region, and secondly, benefit recipients are also obliged to confirm their right to receive them.
Another mention of special vehicles is in GOST 58404-2019. Clause 8.2.6 states that "refueling of a vehicle is carried out in the general queue order; priority service is provided for special vehicles (vehicles equipped with flashing beacons of blue or blue and red colors), as well as vehicles of persons who, in accordance with the law, have the right to priority service at trade and service enterprises."
However, it is important to understand that, unlike the aforementioned Decree No. 1157, GOST is a regulatory and technical document, not a normative legal act. Simply put, it is not a law that all citizens without exception are obliged to comply with, so it cannot be used as a legislative argument.
If a citizen from a benefit category is denied priority service, they can hold the gas station administratively liable under Article 14.8, Part 3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses. It states that "failure to provide the consumer with benefits and advantages established by law entails the imposition of an administrative fine on officials in the amount of 500 to 1000 rubles; on legal entities – from 5000 to 10,000 rubles." To record the fact of refusal to provide the benefit, it is worth calling the police or obtaining a written refusal from gas station employees for priority service.
If you do not have the right to priority service, it is worth considering how to avoid the queues themselves.
The first option is to choose the best time to visit the gas station. For example, in the morning and early evening, gas stations are usually busy, and there is no point in standing in the morning queue, risking being late for work. However, late in the evening, early in the morning, or at night, there may be fewer customers at the gas station, so you can refuel without a queue.
The second option is to choose the least busy gas stations. For example, gas stations in the city center are almost always in high demand. At the same time, on the outskirts and outside the city, at exits or intersections with bypass roads around a populated area, there are also many gas stations, and some of them may be significantly less busy, especially at certain hours. Therefore, it may be more logical to spend half an hour on the road than an hour in line.
The third feature is knowing and correctly using the gas station layout. For example, if you have a diesel car, it is worth remembering that many large gas stations have separate pumps for diesel fuel. They are primarily designed for trucks, but no one forbids refueling passenger cars at them either. Therefore, even if there is a queue, you can sometimes save time by choosing the right pump for refueling.
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