New Jersey to become only state banning self-serve gas
PENNSAUKEN, New Jersey (WABC) -- Until now, only two states were remaining - New Jersey and Oregon - with a ban on self-serve gasoline. Now, New Jersey will be the only state where you cannot pump your own gas as a decades-old law in Oregon is set to change making pumping your own gas legal.
"We're not going to conform, we're New Jersey. We're not going to pump our own gas, no," said New Jersey driver Leah Barsky.
"New Jerseans pride themselves on the fact that we can always have our gas pumped for us, so I think it's going to take a bit for us to change," said Maura Schwartz of Deptford.
News items are popping up in Oregon on the topic, including step-by-step directions on how to pump gas.
Pennsylvania resident Liliana Wardle looks forward to filling up in New Jersey.
"I am an immigrant in the U.S., I've been here 22 years, and my first cultural shock was to have to pump my own gas because I live in Pennsylvania," Wardle said.
For some born and raised in the Garden State, there are not always obvious opportunities to learn.
Barsky remembers the momentous occasion her niece first filled up on a trip south.
"She had no clue. She was like, 'What do I do? What do I do?" said Barsky. "It was a big deal. We actually took a picture, like look she's pumping her gas for the first time."
Drivers ticked off some of the benefits, including former gas station attendant Jahad Slaughter.
"That's one job that other states don't get. That's the only advantage," Slaughter said.
"Sometimes it annoys me if I'm in a hurry, but for the most part if it's raining or it's snowing, I'd prefer to have them pump my gas for me," said Jill Wakefield of Sicklerville.
But others think it's time New Jerseyans take the plunge and do it themselves.
"New Jersey needs to come up with the times, join the rest of the states, please," said Azhena Kee of Camden.
In Oregon, attendants won't disappear overnight. The law there requires gas stations to staff at least half of their open pumps.
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