Throne Labs public bathrooms, which you can open with your phone, were set up as part of a pilot program last year, but the days of these extra spots to answer nature’s call could soon be numbered.
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Could budget cuts ‘de-Throne’ DC’s public restroom program?
You may have heard of or even used the high-tech bathrooms by Throne Labs, which are currently set up in seven spots in D.C. including Navy Yard, Dupont Circle and Columbia Heights.
The stand-alone public bathrooms that you can open with your phone were set up as part of a pilot program last year, but the days of these extra spots to answer nature’s call could be numbered.
D.C. Council member Brianne Nadeau championed the program, but her office said it appears the Throne bathrooms are not a part of the Department of Public Works’ budget proposed by Mayor Muriel Bowser for fiscal 2026.
In an interview with WTOP before the budget was revealed, Nadeau said the bathrooms have become popular, seeing 63,000 users since they were installed.
“People are begging us to expand,” Nadeau said.
Nadeau’s office said she is still trying to determine if the program has officially been cut; and if it has, she will fight to restore funding and, at the very least, keep the pilot program operating.
According to Nadeau, each bathroom costs the city $85,000 to rent annually.
“This is definitely something that I think is a high priority. It’s a high return in investment, low cost and widely supported,” Nadeau said.
WTOP reached out to the Department of Public Works for comment on the public bathroom program being kept out of the proposed budget.
Nadeau said the program meets a need for residents and visitors, from parents with young kids to people with medical conditions who may need more access to restrooms, and even people experiencing homelessness who get a “dignified” and safe place to use the restroom.
According to a report done by Throne Labs and D.C.’s Department of Public Works, 50% of businesses near the restrooms report less demand for their bathroom. Businesses also reported a 14% decrease in public urination in areas where they are available.
In 2018, D.C. passed a law incentivizing businesses to open their restrooms to the public; but according to the survey, only 35% of businesses open their restrooms to the public.
Nadeau said the law, which allows for business that open restrooms to the public to collect a stipend, “just wasn’t very popular.”
“What we’ve learned from that, really, is that we have to provide the public restrooms to create accessibility,” she said.
Nadeau’s goal is to expand the program in the city, which is something she still hopes to do, in addition to securing funding again to make the program move from a pilot to permanent program.
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