Moscow Drivers Adapt as Fuel Queues Persist
Drivers describe what they go through for gasoline
The fuel crisis has forced Moscow drivers to change their habits: some have given up aggressive driving, while others have taken up early rising in an attempt to beat the queues at filling stations.
Moscow region residents have had to give up their cars because of filling station queues
What sacrifices drivers are making and which tips actually work during a gasoline shortage — we look into it together with experts, taxi drivers and ordinary motorists.
An auto expert recommends calm driving to save fuel
Up at five in the morning — refueled by eight
Taxi driver Yevgeny admitted he has managed to adapt to the queues at filling stations. The search for fuel has already become routine for him. Through experience he has worked out the most effective way to refuel — getting up early. Early, in his words, means being at the filling station at 5 a.m. already.
“Yes, you have to get up early in the morning, even at night, to make it in time for the delivery. Usually it works. Even then, it doesn«t guarantee you can refuel quickly,” Yevgeny explained in a conversation with MSK1.RU. “Last week I woke up at half past four, stood in line, and the gasoline ran out right in front of me. I had to keep driving around to filling stations looking for 92-octane. But there weren»t any nearby. In the end, I only refueled closer to 8 a.m. And 15 minutes later I was driving past that filling station and saw that it was already empty — so I caught the ‘last train’.”
Other motorists on social media have noticed a pattern: if cones have been placed at a chain filling station, a fuel tanker is probably expected to arrive. Indeed, Moscow now presents a picture of a queue forming at a filling station that is still closed.
“I«d rather skip those extra 3 cups of coffee”
Auto lawyer Dmitry Slavnov urged drivers to abandon dishonest tricks at filling stations. According to him, the pursuit of fast and cheap gasoline leads to “road boorishness” and conflicts on the roads.
“Don«t cut into the line by driving around on the shoulder. It»s just swine behavior, you can«t do that. Stand in your queue. There are also clever people who drive a small van, claiming they»re transporting perishable goods, and try to get through without queuing,” he said in a conversation with MSK1.RU. “That trick doesn«t work, and God willing it never will. Just be human!”
For motorists who have urgent business — for example, a doctor«s appointment — the expert advised planning the trip in advance. Stand in line in the evening or get up earlier.
“In the heat many turned off the air conditioning. But on one side of the scale — sweating in the car and saving a little gasoline, and on the other — driving in comfort but losing 200–300 ml (roughly 7–10 fl oz) per 100 kilometers,” he explained. “Better to drive in comfort.”
The expert himself shared that he has stopped using chain filling stations for the time being. To avoid standing in queues, he saves time by choosing private filling stations with high prices.
“There are many such filling stations in Moscow and the region; there will be four cars there — that«s only 5–10 minutes. I»d rather skip those extra 3 cups of coffee, but refuel normally without scandals and queues,” he explained.
“My tip — public transport”
Motorists Natalia and Diana chose the most economical approach during the fuel crisis — they have almost completely given up the car.
“I live in Khimki (a town northwest of Moscow) and drive a lot for work: both around the region and into Moscow. At first I started going into the city by commuter train — not so much because of gasoline as because of traffic jams. And now even to neighboring Zelenograd (a Moscow district northwest of the city) I choose the Moscow Central Diameters,” Natalia told MSK1.RU. “Once I drove there by car and almost missed a meeting because of those queues. So my tip is public transport. It«s more reliable.”
Diana this summer has kept the car only for trips to her dacha. The Muscovite no longer trusts the gasoline cards in apps — they have let her down more than once. But the neighbors« chat — that helps.
“If someone sees a more or less free filling station, they immediately write in the building chat. In an urgent case, you can gather at the moment and refuel successfully on such a recommendation,” Diana explained. “But on the whole, I«ve simply switched to a gasoline-saving mode.”
MSK1.RU, by the way, also tested how accurately the new apps inform about fuel availability. You can read about that in our report.
Speed and junk: basic rules for saving gasoline
Auto expert Dmitry Popov recalled the fundamental rules of fuel economy. Frequent acceleration and driving at high RPMs can increase consumption by 20–50%.
“As for saving fuel, you just need to change your driving style,” Popov said in a conversation with MSK1.RU. “What is gasoline consumption made up of? When I press the gas, increase the pressure on the pedal, pick up speed — then the mixture is rich. And the number of piston strokes is correspondingly greater. But if I press the pedal smoothly, don«t go in for overtaking, then gasoline consumption decreases too.”
As an example he cited his own trip along the highway from Moscow to St. Petersburg and back. He drove to the capital smoothly and without acceleration bursts, at a speed of about 100 kilometers per hour (about 62 mph), but on the way back — he was running late and stepped on the gas.
“I needed to get to a broadcast in St. Petersburg urgently, and I drove like a madman — in fifth gear. So on a 700-km (about 435-mile) stretch my consumption rose by almost half again,” Popov said. “So yes, this is a well-known fact.”
Popov criticized the “gasoline-saving pills” that have appeared on marketplaces. According to him, it«s simply a marketing ploy on a topic that is relevant to the public.
“Pills have appeared that you throw into the gas tank, which supposedly raise the octane number. It«s a fiction — just a bunch of nonsense aimed at making money,” he said. “Honestly, I think these pills are just dry alcohol. That»s how it was done in the «90s, diluting gasoline with alcohol. But you won»t save fuel that way.”
Dmitry Popov also reminded that a loaded car will use more gasoline.
“And why do you haul junk from the dacha in the car when there«s a balcony? It»s as if you were running along the highway with a sack of buckwheat, and then threw it off and ran faster. Of course, a heavy car devours more gasoline, that«s obvious,” the expert concluded.
Earlier, fuel limits were reintroduced in the Moscow region, and analysts said that the situation with gasoline availability in Moscow had begun to improve. According to their data, fuel is available at more than half of the filling stations, and 95-octane is sold at 30% of filling stations.
