Posto Stillo in Serra, Brazil Starts Charging for Tire Inflation

The Posto Stillo service station in the Cidade Continental neighbourhood of Serra, Espírito Santo, began charging drivers R$1 via Pix to use its tire‑inflation machine when they do not purchase fuel. Customers who refuel at the station can still use the equipment free of charge, and the payment is confirmed through a QR code, after which the driver has three minutes to adjust the pressure of all four tires.

The station’s partner, Dannunzio Chiappetta, said the policy was introduced because of high maintenance costs – a recent compressor repair cost about R$3.5 thousand and a new unit could exceed R$8 thousand – and because the device was being misused by non‑customers, such as street vendors inflating balls and drivers attempting to inflate tractor tires. The Sindicato do Comércio Varejista de Derivados de Petróleo do Espírito Santo noted that there is no legal requirement for fuel stations to provide free tire inflation, and each can set its own commercial policy.