Been the situation here in California for years. Otherwise given how the state has become a Mecca for criminals and low lifes, not a few will without paying...
FILL UP...DRIVE AWAY
The honor system that we grew up in no longer applies in an overpopulated wealth driven world where honesty and ethics have been lost. Was reading a SF Bay Area news article yesterday of how the San Francisco public transportation service, MUNI, is facing an enormous 240 million dollar budget deficit that worsened over the pandemic. So The City that is also losing many large tech employers, that has a huge public system since many residents don't even own vehicles, is looking for new taxes/fees. What they won't publicly state is that significant numbers of their bus riders NEVER pay, walking right past bus drivers because there is no enforcement. Thus are losing money. That reflects a general increasing attitude of people in the state, especially lower classes, so no wonder gas stations want money up front.