Mobile Toilet Charging Version

One version of mobile charging toilets is the mobile restroom located by the sea in Jinfeng Town, Fuzhou City, Fujian Province. Its business model and charging situation are as follows:

This mobile restroom uses a mobile container as its carrier. The operator, Mr. Liu, purchased it for over 20,000 yuan a month ago and equipped it with toilets, showers, and a vending machine. He also spent over 300 yuan on a mini-program service to enable scan-to-pay functionality. The restroom door is labeled 'Mobile Restroom' and is equipped with scan-to-open, lock, and countdown timer functions. After users scan the code to enter the 'Xiaoxun Smart Control Center' mini-program and pay, the mini-program displays the amount paid (e.g., initially 10 yuan per use, later adjusted to 2 yuan per use), with a countdown timer displayed in the center of the screen. It should be clarified that this countdown does not limit the duration of toilet use but rather indicates that no one else can scan to enter the restroom during that period; in practice, there is no time limit for using the toilet. The restroom has clear signage indicating that once the door is closed, there is no time limit for use. After the countdown ends, the door lock will not open automatically, and people outside cannot scan to unlock it; users can unlock the door from the inside using a key.

In terms of charging, this mobile restroom has undergone multiple adjustments. Initially, Mr. Liu set the toilet charge at 6 yuan per use, but due to high foot traffic and inadequate cleaning, complaints increased. To control foot traffic, he raised the price to 10 yuan per use, while charging 2 yuan per minute for showers. However, this pricing standard attracted widespread attention and discussion. After the incident was exposed, Mr. Liu adjusted the toilet price to 2 yuan per use but eventually suspended operations due to public pressure.

The emergence of this mobile restroom has, to some extent, solved the problem of nearby public toilets being too far away (about two kilometers away), but its charging model and business approach have also sparked attention and reflection from all sectors of society.