Many central Oregon gas stations to pass on self-service

BEND, Ore. – Gas stations in two central Oregon counties will continue to pump gas for customers despite a new law allowing self-serve gasoline in rural counties that takes effect in a few days.

Employees at several stations in Crook and Jefferson counties said they are unaware of any plans to change to self-service, the Bulletin reported .

Others told the newspaper they were unaware that the new law takes effect Monday.

Oregon is currently one of two states that does not allow customers to pump their gas.

A law passed by the Legislature in May and signed into law by Gov. Kate Brown in June will allow Oregon counties with 40,000 residents or less to deviate from that.

Some station managers told the paper Thursday that their attendants would continue servicing patron’s cars just as it has been done since 1951.

“Our regular, longtime customers love coming here and talking to us while we pump their gas,” said Shelby Perkins, a cashier at a 76 gas station in Prineville.

She added that wasn’t sure regular customers even knew how to operate the pumps.

Darlene Forseth, manager at Main Station Express in Prineville and Justin Bidiman, owner of the Metolius Market in Metolius, said they will continue relying on attendants since their stations are not equipped for self-service.

“My equipment is not set up for credit cards,” he said, “so we don’t have any way of recording the gallons.”

The Culver Shell & Feed in Prineville is part of the handful of gas stations that are ready for self-service, said owner Jeffrey Honeywell Thursday.

“We are going to take advantage of it,” he said.

His gas station had changed to “sundown to sun-up” self-serve gas when the state legalized it in 2015.

There will be someone available to assist customers, Honeywell said.