Yandex has opened up access to a map feature showing gas station queues, allowing all users of the Yandex Go and Yandex Zapravki apps to see information on which gas stations have fuel and how long the waiting times are, Vedomosti reports. Previously, this map was only available to taxi drivers.
The service shows stations where drivers have recently fueled up. It allows users to filter gas stations by fuel type and find out whether a queue has formed there.
The feature is based on technology similar to Yandex’s Probki traffic service, which pulls data from Yandex Maps to provide a real-time picture of traffic jams. In addition, the service takes into account fuel orders through Yandex Zapravki and driver responses to surveys. The updated maps are currently operating in test mode in Moscow and St. Petersburg. According to a company representative, they will become available in other cities in the coming weeks.
In recent weeks, an ongoing Ukrainian strike campaign has targeted Russian refineries and fuel transport networks, leading to gasoline shortages nationwide. However, in a July 9 videoconference with Vladimir Putin, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak stated that motor fuel consumption in the country had increased by approximately one third, placing additional strain on gas stations and forcing changes to the routes of fuel delivery to consumers.
Meanwhile, Russia’s gasoline crisis is spreading. On July 5, the authorities of Nizhny Novgorod Region acknowledged an “acute shortage” of fuel. In Chita, some stations are running out of gasoline, and residents of Transbaikalia are being advised to drive to China to fill up.
