This is good news for trans and gender-ambiguous people if you could make sure it marks (and can be searched for) the availability of gender neutral facilities where they won't get hassle.
Airpnp: Like Airbnb, but for toilets
51–60 of 106 posts
Re: Airpnp: Like Airbnb, but for toilets
#52Where I live (Zurich, Switzerland) it's not uncommon for shops/restaurants to open up their toilets to non-guests during busy events downtown, for a small charge. Most people don't mind paying a few bucks to use a clean toilet instead of the mobile ones provided by the city for free, which usually start smelling really bad only after a couple of hours. I doubt I would use an app just for that though...
Z�rich also has 99 public toilets which are cleaned twice a day. Some are also staffed.
Re: Airpnp: Like Airbnb, but for toilets
#53I've always found Starbucks to be reliable solution. Usually clean and nearly ubiquitous.
I think from Starbucks's perspective (and any other store's perspective), they hate having to expend resources on people who don't actually buy anything from them. There were rumors several years ago that Starbucks wanted to close off bathrooms to the public because they were becoming the de facto public bathroom in NY.
This would be a very short-sighted thinking. ROI of making your toilets public feels like it would be much bigger than of any money spent on advertising. Here you have potential customers actually present in your store.
Also, for example I remember exactly where every McDonald's and KFC in my town's centre is only because I sometimes need them as an emergency toilet and/or free Wi-Fi provider. Guess what places come to my mind first when I'm hungry and in the area?
Re: Airpnp: Like Airbnb, but for toilets
#54Earlier quoted context omitted.
I went to visit NYC in 2012 and was so surprised by the lack of clean toilets around... I would've paid $5 for a good, CLEAN toilet. Usually I just go to Starbucks (works well in Europe), but I found them pretty horrible in NYC.. I'd use a service like this.
McDonalds appears to have a policy of allowing non-customers to use their bathrooms too. Starbucks or McDonalds are my go-to toilets in NYC.
Very true. If anyone ever comes to the UK, I find McDonalds to be amongst the cleanest toilets!
Re: Airpnp: Like Airbnb, but for toilets
#55Why are "journalists" saying that uber is part of the "sharing economy"?
Re: Airpnp: Like Airbnb, but for toilets
#56Charging to use the restroom urgently gets close to violating the rules of civil society in my books. Yes, I know city governments do it in many big cities. Yes, I know it is the norm in many parts of Europe. But still ... I've had a few businesses (even chains) in NYC insist that I purchase something before using their restroom. As someone who has a comfortable living, I don't hesitate. At the same time, I make a me…
Being a man, I don't need to use their restroom to pee. I can do it standing up right in the middle of their restaurant.
Re: Airpnp: Like Airbnb, but for toilets
#57Many moons ago in France I remember there being these public restrooms in parks that cost like $.25 to use, but then washed themselves before you got in/after. Could that be the next phone booth style trend?
I would happily pay $.50-1 to know its a clean bathroom that is disinfected. On a busy new york street with tons of foot traffic at $.50 the machine could easily generate $5-10k/day gross.
Re: Airpnp: Like Airbnb, but for toilets
#58I'll assuming that this isn't a joke story. I'm imagining, with some amusement, the inevitable first clash with a city over such a service. You just know someone will complain that this clashes with obscure or arcane zoning laws.
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I really don't see this being used in rural areas with septic systems. It seems like this problem only really exists in cities where everyone is on the sewer line. That being said, people get pissed when neighbors airbnb their apartments because of strangers in the building. Multiply that by 20 with randoms using the can and I think you could have some really pissed off neighbors.
Re: Airpnp: Like Airbnb, but for toilets
#59I've joked around with this idea before, except I called it Püber. In all seriousness, this is an issue I deal with frequently in NYC. I'm out and about in Manhattan all day, get struck by the need to pee, and then run around trying to find any place with a restroom. Paying a buck or two would be a negligible cost if it meant immediate relief. If they expanded and got enough supply, I'd definitely use their service.
somewhat-related: I recently learned that there are public restrooms in Penn Station! So if you're out and about in midtown, there's an option.
I usually refer to this reddit thread for NYC bathrooms - http://www.reddit.com/r/nyc/comments/1q9pvh/secret_bathroom_...
Re: Airpnp: Like Airbnb, but for toilets
#60I've joked around with this idea before, except I called it Püber. In all seriousness, this is an issue I deal with frequently in NYC. I'm out and about in Manhattan all day, get struck by the need to pee, and then run around trying to find any place with a restroom. Paying a buck or two would be a negligible cost if it meant immediate relief. If they expanded and got enough supply, I'd definitely use their service.
somewhat-related: I recently learned that there are public restrooms in Penn Station! So if you're out and about in midtown, there's an option.
Just to be clear, there are rooms that get peed in. Whether they meet the technical definition of "bathroom" is up in the air.