Service Stations in South Africa
A new joint venture between data and research group Lightstone and car tracking company Tracker has provided insights into the driving habits of hundreds of thousands of motorists in South Africa, and related industries (service stations)
Lightstone Explore formed a 50/50 joint venture with Tracker, in which Lightstone analyzed the 2.5 million vehicle trips Tracker customers undertake every day.
This amounts to 450,000 vehicles and 37 million km a day throughout South Africa.
While the data collected by Lightstone and Tracker is only reflective of motorists who have Trackers installed, the data group says that the numbers are high enough to be statistically reflective of the wider motoring population in the country.
Service Stations across the country
Lightstone Explore has built up a database of 3,155 accurately plotted service stations across the country. Combined with the data from Tracker – which comprises the start and completion points of every trip, vehicle IDs, and values – it is able to determine which service stations in the country are the most popular.
The trip data provided to Lightstone by Tracker reveals where vehicle users fill up their vehicles, which service stations they rather drive past, and how long they spend at a service station on average.
Unsurprisingly, the busiest service stations are around populous regions and are often found on main routes along national highways – particularly in and around Gauteng.
Shell Ultra City Jacaranda in Midrand, along with the N1 north, drives the most traffic in the country has seen 35,249 Tracker owners visit between August and November 2017.
Its ‘partner’ station, Shell Ultra City Golden City in Midrand along the N1 south, attracted 33,107 drivers over the same period.
Looking at the 20 busiest petrol stations, Shell accounted for seven of the most visited, followed by Engen (5), Total (4), and Sasol and BP (2 each).
It should be noted that the figures reflect absolute numbers and don’t take into account the different Tracker penetrations in the country.
These are the 20 busiest service stations across the country:
| Station | Area | Stops |
|---|---|---|
| Shell Ultra City Jacaranda | Midrand (N1 north) | 35 249 |
| Shell Ultra City Golden City | Midrand (N1 south) | 33 107 |
| Engen Highveld 1-Stop West | Tembisa (R21) | 23 832 |
| Engen Highveld 1-Stop East | Tembisa (R21) | 23 570 |
| Sasol Circle Centre | Monavoni, Centurion | 21 722 |
| Total Petroport Alzu | Middelburg (N4) | 19 901 |
| Shell Ultra City Johannesburg | Johannesburg (M2) | 18 537 |
| Shell Ultra City Polokwane South | Polokwane (N1) | 18 226 |
| Engen Platinum 1-Stop East | Doornpoort (N4) | 17 775 |
| BP Airport | OR Tambo | 16 356 |
| BP Ridge Oasis | Cato Ridge, KZN | 16 334 |
| Shell Ultra City Estcourt North | Estcourt (N3) | 16 229 |
| Shell Ultra City Middlburg | Middleburg (N4) | 16 136 |
| Total Petroport Panorama East | Doornpoort (N1) | 15 841 |
| Sasol Philip Nel Park | Pretoria West | 15 465 |
| Total Petroport Witbank North | Witbank (N12) | 15 457 |
| Engen Skystop Convenience Centre | OR Tambo | 15 317 |
| Shell Ultra City Middelburg | Middelburg (N4) | 15 251 |
| Engen Platinum 1-Stop West | Doornpoort (N4) | 14 950 |
| Total Petroport Riverhorse Valley West | Newlands (N2) | 14 853 |
