Figtree's 99c petrol chaos: Hour-long queues, 3km walks to school pick-up

The promise of petrol for 99 cents, something not seen on price boards since the early 2000s, in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis was the ultimate drawcard on Tuesday afternoon.

Drivers could refuel at the Metro Petroleum station at Figtree for 99.9 cents for two hours between 3pm and 5pm.

Doordash driver Scott Holland had been in line since 2.15pm.

"It's crazy," he said, as he approached the roundabout at Uralba Street.

Mr Holland said he spends more than $220 a week on fuel, so the deal was too good to miss.

"Remember back in the 90s, it was 60 cents [a litre] and when it got to 99 cents we said we'd never pay a dollar.

"Look at it now."

Not everyone was happy to sit in the traffic lines that at some points stretched to the McDonald's on the Princes Highway.

Nearby resident Ray Lonsdale said he couldn't pick up his children from the nearby public school, with cars already lined up on Murray Road at 2pm.

"It was a dumb move to do it at school time."

The deal was part of a promotion for a company called DCT - Dreams Come True which offers members discounts and giveaways.

Dreams did not come true for parents and staff at KU Figtree, some of whom had to walk for up to three kilometres to pick up their children and staff were parked in well after finishing work.

Organisers of the promotion said they would reconsider the timing of the discount petrol in future events.

On the other side of the M1, word had gotten out about the deal, and the new owners of Speedway Petroleum on Crown Street decided to get in on the action.

Sid Saliba purchased the petrol station late last year and saw the occasion as a good way to give back to the community.

"We heard about the other company doing it so we might as well match it," he said.

"If they can do it, we can do it [too]."

Mr Saliba said he was selling the petrol at a loss - "everybody knows this price is mad" - but in the hyper-competitive world of petrol pricing and with all prices in the area available on the Fuel Check website, you had to stay ahead of the competition.

At Speedway, petrol was 99.0 cents.