The transportation sector is no stranger to the rise of on-demand services — indeed, companies like Uber and Lyft spurred the burgeoning trend of being where people wanted, when they wanted. And while the on-demand industry seems to have fully saturated the automobile market, one area remains conspicuously untouched — fuel. Say hello to WeFuel, a new on-demand gas delivery start-up that claims to combine “the ultimate advancements in technology, safety, and security.”
The concept is so simple that (like most startups) you’ll be kicking yourself for not having thought of it first. By way of the WeFuel app (iOS only for now, though the company promises that Android isn’t far behind), you’ll be able to conveniently request gasoline in a cost-effective and environmentally friendly process.
Simply select your choice of fuel and payment option, and within 30 minutes, you’ll have a professional WeFuel delivery truck wherever you need it. Treating the gas station as a middleman to be skipped over, WeFuel brings everything directly to you, and don’t worry — it only uses Department of Transportation-approved tanks and Weights and Measures-approved meters for dispensing fuel. While the service is currently available only in Palo Alto and Menlo Park, the startup hopes to make its way to San Francisco by this summer, and the rest of the Bay Area by next year.
Ale Donzis and JP Freijo, the co-founders of WeFuel, decided to disrupt the oil and gas industry a few winters ago, when they noticed that, as CEO Donzis noted, “pumping gas at self-service stations [in upstate New York] can be quite painful.” So, the duo asked themselves how they could simplify the refueling process. Noting that consumers have been pumping gas the same way since 1905, the two told me that they “wanted to bring innovation to this outdated process.”
“We have already been tapped by public transportation and car-sharing companies to use our service, since having their fleet refueled in one place saves them money and increases their efficiency,” Donzis told me.
At the end of the day, he added, the bottom line is that the majority of consumers the company surveyed (75 percent) really do want the service that WeFuel promises to provide. “The success of many on-demand services currently on the market is proof that consumers are willing to pay for value-added services and convenience,” Donzis said. “With services like WeFuel, consumers can prioritize their time more efficiently and decrease the time spent on unpleasant tasks such as driving to the gas station.”
You can check out the app here, but know that it’ll only work for you in a couple California cities for now.
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