Drivers can't pump their own gas in these B.C. cities, and there are no plans to reconsider despite record prices

Two British Columbia cities with bylaws banning self-serve gas stations have no plans to reconsider as prices at the pumps soar past $2.35 per litre.

Drivers in British Columbia's Lower Mainland already pay the highest prices in Canada for gas, and over the weekend saw yet another record fall.

Some stations in Metro Vancouver were charging 236.9 cents a litre on Sunday and into Monday, the highest prices ever seen in the region.

These prices are determined based on a variety of factors, with producers in part blaming the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Carbon taxes and other factors also play a part.

Over the weekend, most drivers likely opted for self-serve instead of full-serve at the station, if they were running on fumes and had to fill up, as it's generally a little bit cheaper for a driver to fill up their own vehicle.

But in two cities in the area, it's actually against the rules.

Coquitlam and Richmond both have bylaws prohibiting gas stations from offering self-serve options. CTV News Vancouver reached out to both cities to see if there were any plans to change this, given how expensive gas is lately.

Both said no.

A spokesperson for the City of Richmond said the bylaw was put in place to preserve jobs and to ensure people with disabilities can still access fuel services.

The spokesperson said that even during the pandemic, when physical distancing was heavily encouraged, especially in service industries, the bylaw continued to "have merit" as it meant fewer drivers were handling the pumps.

They said the prices aren't any higher in Richmond due to the bylaw, and are consistent with those across the region. The city's argument against re-examining the bylaw, essentially, is it's not costing drivers any more.

In Coquitlam, where there's also a bylaw making it mandatory that fuel is dispensed by station employees only, council too is not planning to revist the regulation.

The city's director of development services told CTV News that council has, historically, stated its belief that the bylaw is important for people with disabilities or other mobility impairments.

And it's true that it's hard to say what the impact actually is, when there are no self-serve pumps in those cities to compare it to. Prices vary so much in the region already, and even station to station, drivers may find some savings or end up paying more.

For example, on Knight Street Sunday some stations were charging 235.9, while others a bit further south listed the price for regular gasoline as about 10 cents less.