Kansas City makes prepayment at gas pumps mandatory

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- City officials hope a new ordinance requiring prepayment at gas stations will reduce drive-offs -- and drive down police costs.

"It's a 100 percent preventable crime, and we're spending a lot of public resources" to combat it, said Councilwoman Deb Hermann, who sponsored the ordinance.

It passed on a 9-0 vote Thursday, with no discussion, and takes effect in 10 days.

Under the ordinance, customers must either pay at the pump with a credit or debit card or prepay in the station or convenience store before pumping. Stores also have the option to issue cards allowing customers to fill up and then pay.

The QuikTrip chain of convenience stores already uses that system, as do several other retailers.

Businesses that do not comply would not have their licenses renewed when they expire.

Last year, police said, there were 1,104 gas drive-offs in Kansas City. The cost of taking those reports was estimated at almost $26,000.

Gas thefts also create dangerous situations when thieves speed away from pumps, police said.

Customer Jennifer Voigt, of Liberty, said she can understand the need for the new ordinance.

"It makes a lot of sense," said Voigt, who was pumping gas at a station in Kansas City on Thursday. "I've seen how frustrating it can be for the cashiers when someone steals gas."

But Dennis Carter, who owns several stations, said businesses should be able to decide whether to require prepayment. Customers coming in only to pay for gas are less likely to purchase other items, Carter said -- and because other cities in the metropolitan area do not have prepay ordinances, he worries customers will go there.

"We are all about customer convenience," he said. "And this will be less convenient for the customer."

Jeff Lenard, spokesman for the National Association of Convenience Stores, said Kansas City is among the largest municipalities with a prepay ordinance. Others include El Paso, Texas; Myrtle Beach, S.C.; Bowling Green, Ky.; and Twin Falls, Idaho.

"It is one of these things for paying customers that is unfortunate but necessary," Lenard said. "No one wants to be inconvenienced when you are at a convenience store; you don't want to inconvenience cash customers."