Drivers across Canada enjoyed some much-needed fuel relief for a few hours Thursday afternoon. “Circle K Fuel Day” means, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., drivers will save 10 cents per litre on all grades of fuel at participating Circle K-operated gas stations nationwide. The four-hour savings window was expected to lead to long lineups at participating fuel hubs for those hoping to save a few dollars on gas. Drivers on P.E.I. had to pay for the gas before pumping in order to receive the discount. In Nova Scotia, the discount was capped at $100 per vehicle. There were no specific conditions noted for New Brunswick. Gas around the region has gone up significantly in recent months, as noted by Saint John driver Bill Shaw. “Just a few months ago, we were paying significantly less and now all of a sudden, it’s jacked up,” he says. “For the average person, it’s cutting deep into their pockets, and that’s really not a fun thing for them.” University of New Brunswick marketing professor Yunzhijun Yu says the ‘Fuel Days’ marketing idea is a big win for Circle K. She says for the company, this promotion is not about gas, but generating traffic into their stores, which make most of their money off lottery ticket and tobacco sales. “Every news story, every social media post of the line up, every ‘did you hear about a Fuel Day,’ you know, conversations like that is actually doing a lot more PR and branding work that Circle K didn’t have to pay for at all,” says Yu. “The promotion really pays for itself before s single litre is pumped into any cars.” In New Brunswick, regular gasoline is set at a maximum price of 202.1 cents per litre. Diesel sits at a maximum price of 231.4 cents per litre. On mainland Nova Scotia, the maximum gas price remains just below $2 a litre; it’s just about at that mark in Cape Breton. Diesel prices are around a maximum of 219.0 cents per litre on the mainland, and about a cent more expensive on the island. P.E.I. continues to see the more expensive fuel prices in the region. Regular gas is set at a maximum price of 205.2 cents per litre, while diesel is coming in at 230.5 cents per litre. An update to fuel prices in all three Maritime provinces is expected on Friday.
