The “subscription” will allow people “unlimited access” to U-Luu restrooms throughout the country for €100-120 a year.
The entrepreneur behind the €3.50-per-use commercial toilets in Clifden in Galway has said that their “long term plan” is to create a toilet “subscription” service throughout the country.
Ireland’s first upmarket toilets opened in the centre of the town last week, located in a converted retail unit – with facilities available including family and individual shower rooms – at the cost of €3.50 to use the toilet and €15 to take a shower. People can also pre-book the facilities, which have staff on-site.
Entrepreneur John Nagle, who is behind the new installations, has now said that the Galway bathrooms are just one part of a “long-term plan” which will see a toilet subscription service launched in Ireland.
Nagle added that the current plan is to roll out the toilets across 30 towns in Ireland’s southwest.
“The €3.50 is a sort of red herring in that the plan for the business is to roll out across the 30 towns across the southwest of Ireland, and launch a subscription where for €100/€120 a year you can have unlimited access to any of our U-Luu restrooms throughout the country as often as you want,” he told Newstalk Breakfast on Tuesday.
“That’s the long-term plan.”
Nagle added that “unattended toilet services are just not workable”, saying that the controversial price tag would go towards security and comfort.
“What you have to do is do a comparative against what’s out there at the moment and why the existing toilet services are like they are,” he continued.
“Despite the best efforts of county councils and town councils to make their toilet facilities very accessible and clean, unattended toilet services are just not workable and we see that all over the country.
“The reality is the only way you can have a proper safe, clean, toilet and restroom and shower facilities is to have it fully attended. And we have two to three full-time staff 10 hours a day in our facilities, they have to be paid.”
He added that the bathrooms are a “just a different offer” for people who don’t want to use public access toilets.
“Those that want to pay to use the services, they will get a fabulous service,” he continued.
“It’s just a different offer, really – people will continue to use public access toilets all over the country.”
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Aideen McQueen – Faith healers, Coolock craic and Gigging as Gaeilge
