New York City officials have begun cracking down on gas pumps rigged to charge more for less gas ahead of the July 4th holiday weekend. Pump inspections led to the immediate shutdown of 227 pumps in the Big Apple, The New York Post reported.
One reason for the sweeps was a 40% increase in complaints from drivers, who were quick to call authorities this year when they thought they weren’t getting their money’s worth of fuel.
The Department of Community Affairs also usually does pump enforcement sweeps in the days leading up to summer holidays.
Almost all of the 227 pumps–which weren’t dispensing the right amount of gas that drivers paid for–are already back up to code, said the Department of Community Affairs.
The agency, which checked 1,800 gas stations and 12,000 pumps in the past year, said that 98 percent of the pumps aren’t cheating consumers. It also said the average gas price in the city is $2.81 for a gallon of regular.