ELECTRONIC gadgetry designed to take the hassle out of forecourt fill-ups had its European launch at the Fleet Motor Show. Several major oil companies are already in the advanced stages of evaluating TIRAS, a key-ring radio transponder which clears credit for fuel purchase seconds after 'recognising' the customer's account number at the pump.

According to Mobil, key tag technology has boosted sales by 25% because it saves customers from having to queue to pay for their fuel, often behind customers making purchases from garage shops.

Matt Lopez, marketing spokesman for Wayne, Dresser UK, the fuel pump company jointly launching the system as Wayne Trac, claimed initial response in Britain was encouraging. 'A lot of our clients have noted that a big customer advantage exists in the fact that transactions can be carried out so much quicker. Most people just want to get away from the forecourts as quickly as they can, so we see this as a win-win situation for the retailer and the car user,' he said.