/ 5 April 2011

The petrol price is going up. Now what?

With the petrol price going up again, for the seventh consecutive month, motorists are going to fork out an extra 54c a litre — that’s R9,96 a litre if you’re inland.

The Department of Energy says the increase is due to high crude-oil prices, road transport and pipeline tariff adjustments, a fuel levy of 10c a litre and a Road Accident Fund increase of 8c a litre.

Our tip for today? Put aside your car-pooling reservations. Find out if your colleagues work in your area and see if your kids attend school with neighbours’ children. Chances are you can save quite a bit by sharing school-runs and work trips.

Also check traffic reports before leaving home, in case of delays or accidents — you can save taking an alternative, less backed-up route.

Read more news, blogs, tips and Q&As in our Smart Money section. Post questions on the site for independent and researched information