Motorists looking to fuel up their vehicles in east Auckland have fewer options than before as two busy local gas stations have closed to make way for the Eastern Busway public transport project.
People travelling along Ti Rakau Drive between Pakuranga and Botany in recent weeks may have noticed the demise of the Mobil and Gull service stations, the latter of which sold among the lowest-priced fuel in the community.
Both properties are blocked off with fencing and the fuel-pumps on them have been demolished.
A recent post on a local community Facebook page drew more than 130 comments from people lamenting the permanent closure of the Gull station on Ti Rakau Drive on October 30.
A spokesperson for Auckland Transport (AT) says the properties where the Mobil and Gull stations were located were acquired for the construction of the busway project.
“In the case of the Mobil, the property forms part of the busway design and in the short-term will be used as a construction site office.
“A section of the Gull property is also required for the project.
“Both service stations would have no longer been able to operate when the project is complete, as neither would have road frontage to Ti Rakau Drive.
“AT has been working closely with both service stations for several months to provide options for alternative sites in the immediate area to relocate to, but neither decided to pursue this.”
The Times asked AT what the two properties cost to acquire, but it says those figures cannot yet be released.
A spokesperson for Gull New Zealand says: “Sadly the Gull site in Botany is closed for good as the busway deviates from Ti Rakau Drive and re-joins through where the Gull site was located.
“Gull notified its customers well in advance and put pump-toppers onsite in September notifying motorists of its pending closure.
“At this stage Gull doesn’t have any plans to open a new site in the area due to general lack of availability.”
The story is much the same for the now closed Mobil station, with a spokesperson for the company saying as the country’s oldest fuels supplier, it’s “committed to supplying New Zealanders with the quality fuel they deserve”.
“Unfortunately, we have closed Mobil Ti Rakau Drive to make way for the upcoming Eastern Busway project.
“However, there will still be a strong Mobil presence in the east Auckland area and our loyal Smiles customers can visit Mobil Smales Road, Mobil Highland Park, or Mobil Panmure to earn smiles points.”
The AT spokesperson says the Howick and Eastern Buses depot, which is adjacent to the Ti Rakau Drive site previously occupied by Gull, could see some access changes but “will continue to operate as usual”.
