SMS Opens Bathroom Stalls: I HAV 2 P

Along Highway 1 in Western Finland, some rest stops have bathrooms that can be opened only via text messaging. Otherwise locked, a number is posted on the door to which you text “OPEN.” The door unlocks and you can do your business.

The surprising aspect is that only standard text messaging rates apply, meaning that the government isn’t making money off the service. So why lock the bathrooms in the first place? By putting users’ numbers on record, authorities hope to cut down on vandalism. We’d be happy if just it curbed “gush without flush.” [HELSINGIN SANOMAT via textually]