Sber has unveiled a new service that helps drivers find where fuel is most likely available right now. Integrated into the bank’s app and also accessible on sberazs.ru, the feature lets users search for specific fuel types across nearly 23,000 gas stations throughout Russia. It shows if the desired fuel is likely in stock, when it was last purchased, and allows immediate route planning.
This tool is tucked inside the ”For Life” section of Sber’s app and relies on anonymized transaction data from customers rather than real-time fuel inventory. In other words, instead of tracking pump readings, it estimates fuel presence based on recent purchase patterns, offering an indirect but practical signal of availability.
The scale of the rollout is impressive: with roughly 30,000 gas stations nationwide, Sber’s coverage spans nearly the entire country. Unlike individual gas station chains that only display their own outlets, this service aggregates data across networks. For drivers navigating unfamiliar routes in Russia’s vast regions, the question boils down to one straightforward issue: where can I fill up? Everything else is secondary.
Across global markets, such comprehensive fuel availability mapping is still rare. While Google Maps and apps from major fuel brands often show station locations and prices, few provide near-real-time estimates of fuel stock levels. Sber’s approach, leveraging payment data to infer availability, represents a clever workaround in a market where direct pump telemetry is not widely shared.
As Russian drivers face fuel shortages or regional disparities in supply, this fuel availability map could become a go-to resource for route planning and reducing detours to dry stations. The key question now is whether Sber will update the system with more direct sensor data or expand coverage to include other services like electric vehicle chargers, further enhancing travel convenience on Russia’s long highways.