Jakarta. State-run oil company Pertamina has been trialing restrictions in the sale of subsidized fuel products at its outlets in the past few days while awaiting a government regulation to fully implement the policy, a company executive said on Saturday.
The company limits the amount of subsidized gasoline product Pertalite to 120 liters per vehicle per day after the government raised its price by 30 percent to Rp 10,000 [$0.67] per liter.
The sales of cheap diesel fuel product Solar are restricted based on the types of vehicles and the distinction between commercial and private vehicles. Solar is priced at a mere Rp 6,800 [$0.46] per liter.
A privately-owned diesel car can fill up to 60 liters of Solar per day while the limit for public transportation and cargo vehicles is set at 80 liters per day.
A commercial vehicle that has six wheels or more is allowed to buy up to 200 liters of Solar per day.
Gas pump operators keep a record of vehicle registration plates manually or using the MyPertamina app that detects the user’s QR code during the transaction, according to Irto Ginting, corporate secretary of the company’s trading arm Pertamina Patra Niaga.
“Repeat purchases even with a reasonable amount will be detected,” Irto said.
“The daily ceiling limit for Solar has been regulated by the BPH Migas (Oil and Gas Upstream Regulatory Body) but there are still no terms on Pertalite. So during this trial, we limit Pertalite sales to 120 liters [per vehicle] per day,” he added.
The system will automatically lock the dispenser if a customer exceeds the daily cap of a vehicle, Irto said.
