They’ve heard the complaint for years directly from riders, on surveys and from their own board of directors: Why doesn’t LA Metro provide public restrooms at its train stations and bus depots?
That call for rider relief was heard in Washington D.C., where a maker of portable bathrooms is based. Throne Labs made a proposal to Metro that evolved into a six-month pilot that started testing three portable, self-contained bathroom units last week at Metro’s busiest train stations: Westlake/MacArthur Park on the B (Red)/D (Purple) Lines; Willowbrook/Rosa Parks on the A (Blue)/C (Green) Lines; and the Norwalk station on the C Line.
Metro also added a fourth Throne unit, a non-public bathroom for bus drivers and train operators at the Sylmar/San Fernando Metrolink passenger rail station.
The Throne bathrooms have been used 1,200 times in about one week, and Metro has received no complaints, and no reports of vandalism or misuse, said Stephen Tu, Metro’s deputy executive officer of station experience on Oct. 18.
“This appears to be a very promising start,” Tu said. The key may be that the Throne system only allows access via a cell phone to unlock the door. And there’s a 10-minute time limit on using the facility.
Before the Throne pilot, public bathrooms and LA Metro train and bus stations rarely co-existed. With few exceptions, bathrooms are non-existent at Metro train stations, bus depots and bus stops.
Of the 140 rail and bus transit centers that Metro serves on its 115 miles of rail lines, only three stations had restrooms before the new ones were installed. The three are located at Union Station in DTLA, Harbor Gateway in the South Bay, and the El Monte Bus Station in the San Gabriel Valley, explained Tu. At the North Hollywood Metro station and at Pershing Square, the city of Los Angeles has provided nearby restrooms, Tu said.
Holding it in
Riders often give Metro an earful about having to “hold it in” while waiting for a train or bus to arrive, or during and after a long bus or train ride. There are no restrooms on board the trains or buses.
“I need bathrooms because I am waiting for the bus for 45 minutes. It is an emergency!” said Martha Villa, a Pasadena resident awaiting the arrival of the Metro 467 bus to get to work. Villa sat on a bench at the multi-level, Metro-owned, Sierra Madre Villa bus/train depot in East Pasadena on the morning of Oct. 19.
“My coffee is in my bag,” she said, pulling out a silver thermos from her satchel. “But I don’t drink it.”
While Villa had learned not to fill up her bladder while taking Metro, others waiting for a bus pointed to the locked restrooms at the eastern end of the depot. They are reserved for bus and train operators only. One bus driver used his key to enter the employee-only facility, and later was asked if those restrooms should be open to the public. “No comment,” he said.
The new Throne bathroom in Sylmar is at the end of the line for many bus drivers and has been used a lot by drivers already, Tu said. Often bus drivers run to relieve themselves during layovers — to gas stations, Starbucks or wherever they can access a toilet.
A ‘nice bathroom’ for all?
Throne began setting up its bathrooms in cities during the pandemic in 2020. It’s other transit-oriented location is at a Washington D.C. transit terminal, for use by bus drivers.
The mission of the start-up is to provide transit employees and riders with “a nice bathroom.” Founder and CEO Fletcher Wilson talked to bus operators and rideshare drivers about finding bathrooms on their routes. One rideshare driver pointed to a rolled up necktie in his glove compartment and said, “Whenever I drop a passenger at a hotel I throw on the tie, walk into the lobby, and boom, a really nice bathroom is all mine.”
The shortage of public restrooms in the United States is acute. According to the Public Restroom Index, the U.S. has eight per 100,000 people. That is tied with Botswana.
Flushing out misuse
Two big reasons why transit agencies don’t provide restrooms are cost and misuse, said Jessica Heinzelman, co-founder and chief operating officer of Throne. Many agencies could not keep out those who used a restroom to change, do drugs, or other illicit activity.
Tu said the portable restrooms at the El Monte Bus Depot have caused Metro problems. They have been shut down at times or had their hours curtailed. And when they are open, Metro posts a guard to ensure accountability, Tu said.
“There is illicit activity going on inside,” Tu said. “That vulnerability has led to clogged toilets and people discarding items like clothing that jam up the facility and prevent actual Metro customers from using the facility.”
Throne gets around the cost of hooking pipes to water and sewer lines by making its bathrooms self-contained. They have their own water and sewer tanks. And power comes from solar panels, Heinzelman explained.
Each bathroom has a toilet, a urinal, a running water sink to wash hands and a baby changing station, Heinzelman said, describing them as “a huge step up from a porta potty.” They have ventilation systems, bright lighting and are self-cleaning but they need to be serviced like other portable bathrooms, Tu said.
21 sensors for accountability
The biggest prevention against their misuse is that each bathroom is locked and can only be opened by using a cell phone.
A phone can scan the bathroom’s QR code and that unlocks the door. Without a smart phone, a text message can be sent to the number on the bathroom and the caller gets a text back with a code that can be put in to unlock the door. Throne also has an app to use to unlock the door and to find the locations of other Throne bathrooms, Heinzelman explained.
The Throne bathrooms have no cameras. But they are equipped with 21 internet sensors that give information to Throne on length of time in use, and whether there’s a clogged drain, or some kind of damage or vandalism.
“We can collect information but no visual images. If there is a major incident of vandalism we can shut it down remotely,” she said. Also, the door pops open after 10 minutes.
“So far, we’ve had great feedback. The goal is to have them at more Metro stations,” Heinzelman said.
The pilot is not costing Metro a penny. A report will be sent to the board in April, Tu said. “We expect to learn a lot during this six-month pilot,” he said.