Then I’m not sure why it matters. This discussion is about making clear whether the method of fuel dispensing. Is there a pump or vending machine is present at a particular location. Correctly tagging for compliance with local or regional regulatory requirements is a different one.
Thanks everyone for your input! It seems like a good idea to use a different top-level tag for these vending machines, like amenity=vending_machine + vending=fuel, just as shop=fuel was used for drummed fuel shops.
But I do have one worry: Renderers like OsmAnd might not like this idea because, according to the wiki, someone might go all out and map every gas pump inside a gas station (amenity=fuel), which could render a ton of nodes.
Do you think that’s a real concern?
how do you distinguish these from slightly bigger unstaffed fuel pumps? By the size of the tank?
Size of the tank, and method of payment?
These machines takes only cash and the biggest accepted note gives you 2.5 liters of petrol, so the probability someone can refill fully a small car tank is close to zero.
These machines are also often out of order and cannot be relied fully on.
I linked this thread from https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Tag:amenity%253Dfuel
not sure whether this page, especially definition, should be edited based on this thread
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On that wiki page, within the section labeled “Possible tagging mistakes,” you can find the following statement:
Fuel intended for non-automotive purposes, such as heating or cooking, should be categorized under the tag
shop=fuel.
In Thailand, shops selling drummed fuel initially adopted this tag. These shops exhibit similarities to petrol vending machines, including limited capacity, occasional manned operation, higher pricing, and primarily serving motorcycles, though they can also cater to motorcars, often 4WD pickup trucks in remote areas.
The wiki reinforces the concept that the tag amenity=fuel should encompass all retail fuel services for vehicles, without distinguishing between different categories of “motor vehicles” (motorcycles, cars, trucks, etc.).
Therefore, why not employ additional tags to describe these points of sale for fuel distribution? For example, using tags such as vending_machine=yes/no and drummed=yes/no, akin to the existing self_service=yes/no and automated=yes/no tags. This approach would greatly facilitate software adaptation for rendering purposes.
Update: I recently realized that a developer submitted a pull request two weeks ago, introducing a new “Gas Vending Machine” iD preset and proposing a tag update for micro-mapped “Gas Pump” (man_made=fuel_pump). You can find more details here: "Gas Pump" preset clarifications · Issue #411 · openstreetmap/id-tagging-schema · GitHub
This update would create a clear distinction for renderers. I apologize for the back-and-forth between various tagging scenarios, but my aim is to comprehensively explore all potential requirements and issues.
Was waiting for this OVER THE TOP of charging stations and mapping the individual charging points too and fuel stations and their individual pumps (not the intend I hope). A popular station at the local trunk has the numbers 1 thru 27, some do 2 types of fuel some are GTL diesel only, some LPG. The pumps have no service, only pumps and a machines per lane where to insert notes or debit/credit card and choose the pump number from which the fuel is wanted.
Anyway, whatever tickles your fancy.
There are a lot of replies here so I will try to summarise it in a few paragraphs.
Fuel pumps allow you to only pump fuel. In order to pay, you have to go to a cashier or to a separate machine.
Fuel vending machines allow you to both pump fuel and pay at the same machine without interacting with any staff.
There are large fuel stations with vending machines (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/Gas-pump-Indiana-USA.jpg). They may also have a staffed shop that sells food and drinks. One would tag the pumps with the vending machine preset and the shop with the appropriate tag (usually shop=convenience).
For the individual machines shown in the first post, one would use the vending machine variant. If you want to use amenity=fuel, it would be good to also add motorcycle=designated + motor_vehicle=no/discouraged. You may also add the same access tags on the vending machines. From there on OsmAnd should be able to suggest the proper fuel station based on the routing mode that you’ve selected (truck/car/motorcycle).
Let me know if I’ve missed something.
Fuel pumps allow you to only pump fuel. In order to pay, you have to go to a cashier.
this is definitely not what I experience locally, the presence of a cashier is facultative and not what you can assume from amenity=fuel. On the other hand, the presence of payment machines for fuel is ubiquitous at fuel stations, never saw one without here.
I was not sure if there were fuel station without staff but with a separate machine for paying. Turns out there is such thing. I’ve edited my post accordingly.
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Can remember the 24/7 stations at least back to 2000. Many have daytime service, but then you can still do the pre-payment by machine or sit in the car and be serviced for the mere 18-20 Eurocents per liter or 9-10 Euros on 50 liters, no kidding i.e. highly discouraged.
Hi. I’m the guy who drove several thousand kilometers across the north of Thailand and mapped several hundred objects amenity= vending_machine + vending=fuel, and also fixed several points amenity=fuel on vending, because you can’t call an old rusty barrel with a hose a “fuel station”.
P.S. in other countries, I still used shop=fuel for stores that sell bottles of gasoline, but in Thailand now this is not relevant and I do not mark them.
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Hi pLoskutov, welcome and thanks for your valuable recent contributions!
In my opinion, a convenience store that occasionally sells bottles of fuel should be tagged as shop=convenience + vending=fuel. As you mentioned, these have become quite rare in Thailand, rendering this information largely irrelevant.
However, I think that the very common Drummed fuel shops merit a distinct high-level tag as well, and shop=fuel originally served as the inspiration for it. You can check out @AlaskaDave’s comments and contributions on the wiki page for more context: https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Tag:shop%3Dfuel
What are your thoughts on this? Do you agree with this approach, or do you have any alternative suggestions to distinguish them from conventional retail stations?
I don’t see a fundamental difference between vending machines and barrels. Only the way to accept money 
I think the price and quality of fuel are the same at all independent gas stations.
I think only two types are enough: a station and a vending machine.
But now OsmAnd Maps still has the problem of displaying fuel vending machines - it shows all vending machines and not just fuel 
Marking up stores selling bottled fuel doesn’t make sense. In areas where there are no filling barrels, you can ask for a bottle at any grocery store. After all, we do not mark separately stores selling alcohol or water.
Drummed barrels are staffed, operate during specific hours, and offer quantities sufficient for cars, which marks a significant distinction.
@AlaskaDave has already invested considerable effort in introducing the shop=fuel tag. It would be unfortunate not to utilize it, or even worse, label these wrongly as vending machines.
If we intend to create a tagging differentiation between vending machines and retail stations, it’s imperative that we include a third scenario for drummed fuels (shop=fuel) for the reasons I’ve outlined earlier.
Some traditional retail stations, like Shell, also charge higher prices, so pricing alone isn’t a conclusive basis for high-level tagging differentiation. An alternative approach could be to utilize operator=independent for this distinction, providing renderers with the flexibility to use this information as needed.
FWIW: the bottled fuel shops really aren’t suitable for filling an automobile or truck. The fuel is expensive and the proprietor can only add one liter at a time. In an emergency, a person might buy enough fuel to get to a “real” fuel station but would never fill the tank there. Therefore, I agree that differentiating between a barreled fuel shop, a vending machine scenario, and an actual full-service fueling station is a worthy goal for this discussion.
I agree that a valid tag is operator=independent and have tagged all such shops that way.
@pLoskutov: both bottled fuel and vending_machine fuel are significantly more expensive, maybe 30% more, than fuel bought at a full-service branded fuel station. This is another compelling reason to differentiate them somehow.
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After all, we do not mark separately stores selling alcohol or water.
actually we could, it doesn’t make a lot of sense around here, but I could imagine areas where it is interesting information
An alternative approach could be to utilize
operator=independentfor this distinction, providing renderers with the flexibility to use this information as needed.
operator is not the right tag for this, it is meant to have an operator inserted. Maybe operator:type=independent could be used, if independent can be defined.