Drivers queue overnight in Nakhon Sawan amid fears of diesel price hike

Residents in Nakhon Sawan province queued for kilometres at petrol stations overnight to fill their tanks, following reports that the price of diesel, which has been capped for years at Bt30 per litre, will be allowed to rise next Tuesday amid the crisis in the Middle East.

Some motorists wrote on social media that they had to sleep in their vehicles while waiting for stations to receive new fuel deliveries.

The exact increase is yet to be determined, but is expected to range from Bt2 to Bt6 per litre.

Last night villagers flocked to a petrol station on Highway 1145 (Tak Fa–Tha Tako Road) in Phu Nok Yung sub-district in Nakhon Sawan, to queue for diesel after the station owner announced on social media that a new delivery was expected at about 11.30am today.

The station had run out of diesel yesterday afternoon.

Motorists who heard the news began queuing from around 4pm. They included pickup trucks, three-wheeled farm vehicles and tractors.

Many also brought 20-litre and 200-litre fuel containers, loading them onto their pickups. The station allows only 100 litres per vehicle per visit, though, and vehicles are not permitted to return for a refill.

Most of those waiting were farmers affected by the fuel shortage.

A couple said they had travelled nearly 100 kilometres round trip from their home. They brought bedding and slept in their vehicle after previously coming to the station but failing to get fuel because supplies had already run out.

Two brothers, who arrived on a tractor and in a pickup truck, began waiting in line at about 7pm. They said it was the first time in their lives they had experienced a fuel shortage.

Although they live not far from the station, they did not want to miss the chance to refuel, as the diesel is needed for several types of agricultural equipment, including tractors, water and irrigation pumps.

The station owner, Narong Daengchai, said he had opened the petrol station just over a year ago and had not expected to encounter such a fuel crisis. He said that he sympathises with local farmers and wants to ensure that everyone can obtain fuel.

He said about 8,000 litres of diesel are expected to arrive today. Of that amount, 7,000 litres will be allocated to farmers, with a limit of 100 litres per vehicle.

The remaining 1,000 litres will be reserved for passing vehicles, with purchases limited to 500 baht per vehicle.

Narong pointed out that, once the station’s stock runs out, he cannot guarantee fuel will be available every day. For example, no additional diesel deliveries are expected on Sunday, meaning the situation will have to be managed day by day.

Meanwhile, many local netizens posted on social media platforms asking which petrol stations still have diesel available, so they would not waste time driving to stations that had already run out.

One netizen wrote: “Does anyone know which petrol stations in Nakhon Sawan still have fuel available right now?” The question drew many responses mentioning stations that still had fuel available.

Another post asked: “Is it true that the PT station at Khok Wicharn curve and the PTT station at Nong Pling have run out of diesel?”

Another netizen wrote: “Does anyone know where diesel is still available in the city? The station at Cho Krathin has stopped selling it. Please help, everyone — this is urgent.”

Another message read: “Many petrol stations in Nakhon Sawan have already run out of fuel. Does anyone know which stations still have some left? Please help update so people don’t have to keep driving around looking for fuel.”

A Shell station in the province also posted on its Facebook page: “Notice to all customers: Shell station at Tha Nam Oi (Luang Pho O intersection) - FuelSave Diesel is now out of stock. Due to our limited quota, we have done our best to manage our inventory and distribute fuel fairly to all customers. We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience.”

The station added that Gasohol and V-Power fuel remain available.