Yeah, I don’t like that aspect of it, either. Originally many of the first stations selling would only take cash (I don’t think they could process other payments); I think that has been addressed now (I was asked how I wanted to pay). I think the people should be buying it, even if they are mini-loans to do so; the government should be undercutting the private sector here, and never did anyone favors by giving things away for “free” (see diabetes epidemic in our welfare class).
All they have to do is allow the price to increase locally to the point where private gas companies start trucking it in themselves. They will have more gas than they can handle.
There is also no good reason for the military to set up their own gas stations to compete with private stations. Let them have a generator and it’s done.