In June 2021, SNCF Gares & Connexions general manager Marlène Dolveck said toilets will be free of charge in 2022, for any traveler holding a ticket. But in September 2022, there is no change yet and prices even increased to go to the bathrooms in Paris train stations.
The 2theloo company has been managing the public bathroom of 31 SNCF train stations since 2015 and sets rates. From 50 cents a few years back to 90 cents, some even cost more than 1 euro today, and fidelity cards are even instated, especially at the Gare de Lyon station. A situation shocking foreign travelers, as well as commuters for a call of nature, all the more so as they have already paid for their train tickets.
SNCF states gratuity will not be possible before the end of the contract with the company, namely in 2026. Yet, in some Île-de-France stations, one can access the bathroom upon presentation of a Navigo pass.
Les toilettes de Paris Gare de Lyon je pense que c’est l’apogée du capitalisme
— DéphaseuR (@DephaseuR) September 4, 2022
Même Adam Smith dans ses rêves les plus fous n’avait pas imaginé ça pic.twitter.com/8f3f3gA5Dk
Tweet reads: “I think toilets at Paris Gare de Lyon are the climax of capitalism. Even Adam Smith never imagined it in his craziest dreams”.
