A phrase once common at pumps across Calcutta is among the biggest casualties of the spiralling fuel prices. From private vehicles to yellow cabs, “tank full” or “pura tanki” was the choice of a significant section of vehicles at pumping stations every day.

Not any more.

Motorists are now opting for smaller refills because of the steep rise in the prices of petrol and diesel. Several car owners said their fuel consumption had not gone down drastically but they were cutting down on travel wherever possible and their buying pattern had definitely changed.

Many have been forced to curtail the use of cars. Instead, they have been sharing a car with colleagues to work. Some others have stopped going out on long drives.

Rahul Das, a New Alipore resident who works in the marketing department of a direct-to-home (DTH) operator, owns a diesel engine five-seater sedan and has to drive around 80km five days a week. His journeys are mostly between his home and his Salt Lake office and dealers and distributors in north Calcutta, Salt Lake and North 24-Parganas.

“A little over a year ago, a full tank would cost me around Rs 2,600. Now, it costs me close to Rs 4,000. My conveyance entitlement (Rs 4.50 per km) from office has not been revised for four years, when the price of petrol was around Rs 65,” said Das, 38.

He is buying Rs 1,000 worth of diesel at pumping stations now. “It is difficult to shell out Rs 4,000 every now and then....I have almost stopped going on drives on weekends," said Das.

At a pumping station at the intersection of Diamond Harbour Road and Burdwan Road, many private vehicles that turned up in the evening would opt for a full tank earlier.

“The number has been consistently going down over the past two years. The 5pm-to-9pm slot is still the busiest. But only a few vehicles are fully loading their tanks,” said an employee.

At another pump on Sarat Bose Road, the employees were sitting idle around 5pm on Monday. The pump is frequented mostly by private cars and taxis. “One in 10 or 12 cars now get their tanks full. Two years ago, the number would be one in two,” said an employee.

Yellow taxis have “almost totally” stopped fully loading their tanks, he said.

A litre of petrol sold at Rs 99.84 at pumps in Calcutta on Monday. A litre of diesel sold at Rs 92.27.

A 40-year-old man who looks after “loan against securities” of a private bank had to travel between his home in Ramlal Bazaar near Kasba and his office in Park Street.

“Unable to bear the fuel expenses, I have stopped taking the car to work for close to a year. I take public transport. If I don’t get a bus or a Metro, I take an auto till Gariahat and then take a taxi,” said the man, who requested anonymity.

Rajesh Lohia, who lives in Howrah and works with a private bank in central Calcutta, drove around 10km between home and office every day in a budget hatchback that runs on petrol till last year. This year, he has been “carpooling” with three others to work and back.

A full tank costs him around Rs 3,200 now, compared to less than Rs 2,300 that he used to spend a little over a year ago.

“What I used to spend on fuel in a month is getting spent in 20 days now. There was no other option. Many colleagues are doing the same thing,” he said.

The rush of vehicles at busier pumping stations has not disappeared. Around 4.30pm on Monday, a pump operated by women in Alipore, had over a dozen vehicles lined up at three refill points. But most of the vehicles opted for a partial refuelling.