A MULTI-CRITERIA FACTOR EVALUATION MODEL FOR GAS STATION SITE SELECTION

Location selection is one of the most important aspects of business success. In fuel industry, gas station site selection problem involves several quantitative and qualitative factors such as the number of other stations in the area, traffic directions, social composition of surrounding residential area, and curb appeal of the station structure. The purpose of this study is to present a comprehensive hierarchy of factors for selecting the best gas station site. In the study, Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) methodology was also used to calculate the relative importance of criteria and the sub-criteria in accordance with the aggregate opinions of experts. AHP is a commonly used mathematical tool especially where subjectivity may affect on overall result of the decision making process. The study demonstrated that the access to station from both directions, road barricades in direction of station, to be located on a local or state road, and the speed limit on the front road have been the major factors for the gas station site selection.