I just found out about this???

[PonyPals]

To all the UK Mners. Is it true you have to pay to use the public bathrooms??

Some places do, some places don't. Lots of public toilets have been closed down (because of rising costs and vandalism) so it can be really difficult if you have a condition that means you need to find a loo quickly. I've a friend who's really limited in where he can go because of this.

It's definitely not restricted to the UK, in case you're assuming only the British are in the dark ages with lavatory provision.

I think it’s far more common to pay for the loo in continental Europe than it is in the uk. It’s been phased out at railway stations hasn’t it?

And where are you that this deeply shocking news has just reached your?

Waterloo (parden the pun) station in London stopped charging to go to the loo in 2019 apparently.

In some, that's why people sometimes use the phrase 'I've got to spend a Penny' meaning they need the loo. It's a bit more expensive now, big train stations, tourist areas like Covent garden etc toilets charge. Most public toilets outside these areas are free to use.

You can buy them on amazon for a couple of quid.

The problem is people that use them for other reasons of what they are there for, so a 50p charge keeps them out

Most of the public loos in towns in my county and the next one (both rural, with some seaside) have a charge. However, away from the towns they are mainly free.

You have to pay at Euston, but as a PP has said not at St Pancras (though it's a 15 min walk with luggage so probably not worth it to save the fee!). I can't think of another mainline station where you have to pay but I don't often go to all of the London mainline stations so there may be others.

Glasgow central went up to 30p before they stopped charging!

It's not true to say that most elsewhere are free to use. I haven't been in a free public toilet for years, apart from those in cafés, restaurants, big stores or hospitals. Most around here are card operated and don't take cash at all. 50p is the usual charge with these. Others that in places I go are run by local volunteers, in which case there are honesty boxes.

Why are you asking?

What do you mean you "just found out"?

This is the case in Belgium, but if there are no bars and cafes open you're in trouble because there are very few stand alone public toilets.

Ah ok, I suppose it depends on the size of town city you live in or near, they are free around my area

We usually find our way to pee for free. For example in Prague they are mostly chargeable, we found an M&S receipt and memorised the toilet code. Bought water from Starbucks so we had the loo code, used them in the shopping centre, museums and the castle even if we didn’t need to go as might as well go while it’s free. I paid once. In Oban the ferry terminal had free loos, the premier inn has loos downstairs that are free, the big Tesco has free loos…Inveraray are paid public loos but go into one of the pubs…

If you mean toilets, it depends on where they are.

But for the most part, no.

Where are you from OP?

Nor Waterloo, AFAIK. It used to cost 20p.

In Australia... the news takes awhile to reach our shores!

30p before the charge was removed 😲

Never thought I would be so fascinated by toilet practices in other countries

And the big park close to a dd has free public loos, but they are locked at 5 pm, which is a bit of a PITA when kids want to stay a lot longer in summer. I do understand why though - it’s to prevent other ‘unsavoury’ activities.

No, not many are paid these days, though of course the expression "spend a penny" does come from the fact that toilets were chargeable historically. IME most places will let you use a toilet with DCs but one or two can get grumpy if you are not buying something.

I was unable to pee in Bowness one day due to not having any cash and the Witch on the gate not letting me in. I was almost in tears. My husband escorted me into the gents instead.

You have to pay for some toilets, and not for others. It's totally random. Thankfully most which need payment do take a card, as I never have coins.
I also casually crouched and walked under a public toilet turnstile the other day as I didn't have my purse on me at all, so do try that if you can get away with it!
Generally, I'm happy to pay to be able to use clean toilets.

@PonyPals genuine question how have you never herd or came across this?
Does your village /town not have public toilets or charge and you don’t go anywhere other than where you live ?

In some places, but because we can be quite politely subversive we will get round it if we don’t agree with it!

Remember one occasion in Morecombe when someone came out of a loo, told me you had to pay & how she thought it was ridiculous and when I said I didn’t have any money she guarded the door for me. I then did the same for the next person 😀