New Poll Proves New Jersey Wants Choice at the Pump 

Sal Risalvato, Executive Director of the New Jersey Gasoline, C-Store, Automotive Association made the following statement in response to the release of a new opinion poll from Monmouth University showing that 54% of New Jersey residents support allowing for the option of self-serve gas when full-serve is guaranteed to remain.

“I applaud Patrick Murray and Monmouth University for the thorough job they did in asking residents about this issue. The poll that was released earlier this month on the topic asked a single, largely irrelevant question to the current debate, and in fact was in the field before the new bill had even been introduced. We conducted internal polls in both late 2020 and late 2016 and found results very similar to those found by Monmouth” Risalvato said. 

“The Motorist Fueling Choice and Convenience Act (A-3105) deliberately guarantees that those who do not want to pump their own gas, either some of the time or all the time, will not have to. Even under this bill New Jersey will continue to have the strongest full-serve mandate in the country. Nothing is being taken away, all we seek to do is add self-serve for those who want the convenience and savings” Risalvato pointed out.

Risalvato continued “If someone says they don’t want to pump their own gas, ask them do you object to another person pumping their own gas?   Most likely they will not have an objection.  We live in a free country, and no reasonable person would deny someone else such a simple choice. Especially since, as this poll shows, many of the people who prefer full-serve would use self-serve at least some of the time.”

“Providing self-serve as a choice will be of great convenience for all motorists. The ongoing staffing shortage has meant working pumps blocked off by orange cones and stations having to close down earlier and at irregular hours for lack of attendants. More motorists are being forced to wait longer for an attendant to get to them. Allowing those motorists who want to pump their own gas to do so will also improve the waiting times for consumers who still want full-service gas. And believe it or not, market competition will force down prices, as it always has in this industry.”

“This is the poll that policymakers should be paying attention to. With a clear majority of New Jersey residents supporting having both full-serve and self-serve, there is no reason for this bill not to be signed into law quickly” Risalvato concluded.