Governor Alexander Osipov announced the pilot program, which allows drivers to register with a bot called 'Fuel 75' within the Max messenger to select a refueling time and fuel type. If a slot is available, the system immediately issues a QR code that the driver can present to an attendant at a designated gas station on the appointed day, bypassing the queue.
The next code can be requested only after six days. The test is currently limited to a single gas station, DEKS on Lenin Street in the regional capital Chita. If the scheme proves effective, it will be expanded to other stations in the region, the governor said, adding that stations with traditional 'live' queues will also remain in operation.
The regional housing and utilities ministry explained the choice of the Max messenger by citing its convenience, stating that the app 'is already familiar to many residents of the region' and eliminates the need to register on third-party resources. The ministry also claimed the system would help prevent the resale of QR codes. After the system launched, codes at the Chita station were exhausted within an hour, according to the publication 'Lyudi Baikala'.
State Duma deputy Alexei Kurinny, a member of the Communist Party, criticized the initiative. 'The state should not force citizens to use one specific messenger to purchase fuel,' he said. Kurinny warned that tying the system to a single service makes it vulnerable to technical failures and cyberattacks, and that restrictions could lead to a black market for accounts and QR codes, where intermediaries resell slots in the electronic queue.
The testing comes amid a fuel crisis in Russian regions. One of the most severe situations has developed in the Trans-Baikal region, where a high-alert regime has been in effect since late June. Gasoline sales have been limited to 15 liters per vehicle, and drivers report queues stretching for hours and kilometers, with wait times for refueling reaching up to three days.