Using the toilet at the train station has become more expensive: that’s why

This article first appeared on RTL.de

Bad news for train passengers: If you want to go to the toilet for a moment, you now have to pay significantly more at some large train stations in Germany. At twelve locations, the price of Rail and Fresh and Sanifair toilets will rise from one euro to 1.50 euros. It is the first price adjustment in around 15 years, as Deutsche Bahn announced in response to an RTL request. The reason for this is increased operating costs, such as personnel, water and energy.

However, going to the toilet has only become more expensive at locations that are usually open for 24 hours. The railway says the old price will remain the same at all other train stations. These twelve train stations are affected:

As annoying as it is that you now have to pay more to use the toilet, it is legal – because there is no right to a free toilet. In general, there are too few public toilets in Germany, writes the network “The Nice Toilet” on its website.The network offers a solution for people who need to relieve themselves: restaurateurs can offer their toilets for free use in their app. In return, they receive financial support from their city or municipality for maintenance. If you don’t have the app to hand, participating stores can be identified by a sticker on the door.

In addition to “The Nice Toilet”, there are now also a number of other apps that show where the nearest toilet can be found and whether it can be used free of charge, for example “Toilette Scout”, “Toilet Finder”, or “HandicapX”.. Some of these apps can also show whether a toilet can be used barrier-free.