San Francisco’s three-month pilot program to keep three public toilets open all night ended up costing the city approximately $28.50 per flush, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
The test of all-night “Pit Stop” toilets at three locations was intended to cut down on public defecation on San Francisco’s sidewalks. The three restrooms were staffed by two-member teams at night, and one person during daylight hours. According to city data, it cost an extra $300,000 to keep the three toilets open from mid-August through mid-September.
According to the San Francisco Public Works logs, the three toilets were used a total of 10,518 times between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., costing taxpayers approximately $28.52 per overnight flush.
During the test period, calls for sidewalk cleanups reduced a negligible amount, an average of just five fewer calls per month. (Source: San Francisco Chronicle, December 4.)