Do you know of any actual pay phones left in your area?
Asked by
Jeruba (
56221
)
4 hours ago
If so, where?
I haven’t seen one in a long while.
Seems regressive for society if instead of dropping a dime (quarter, dollar, whatever) into a box to make a call, you have to own a charged-up cellphone.
I think we should maintain them somewhere. Airport? Bus station? Library?
I want the person with no money to be able to call for help or phone home. Let them beg for a dollar rather than having to steal someone else’s phone.
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6 Answers
I answered a Q about this many years ago, maybe 10 years ago, and at the time I think there were around 100,000 pay phones in the US. Some were in parks where cell phones were unlikely to work. Several still in New York City when I answered. Some in some rural places. Last I read, they were being removed from most places. They work on the old copper wires I guess and from what I understand those will not be serviced eventually, maybe that has already happened.
I also think it is regressive. Maybe now everyone can get a cell phone? My aunt had a cell phone through Medicaid I think.
I haven’t seen any payphones where I live, but we do have phones that are free to call customer service that are in red British payphone booths.
Maybe airports, bus stations, train stations, still have pay phones? I would think those places and national parks would be the most likely places to hold onto them if they can.
We have two at work in the hospital, actually. Never seen anybody use them.
A local hamburger restaurant (and drug user hangout) had one of the last ones I’ve seen.
Because of the clientele, and the fact it could also receive calls, everyone figured it was tapped by the cops.
Not that I know of.
I always figured (assumed) that if somenne had an emergency like they needed to make a call urgently for assistance or to call a family member, and they got themselves to a police station, the police would let them use a phone there. Like if you didn’t have a cell phone but you were out and had a flat tire, or your car broke down, you could go to the police department and they’d let you call a tow truck.
Most of phone boxes near me have had the phones replaced with AEDs.
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