A bus driver built a snow toilet to wake up decision-makers to notice the drivers' toilet problem in Oulu. The city's public transport manager promises more toilets along Oulu's bus routes.
Electronics road a snow-covered toilet for bus drivers has appeared at the turnpike in Oulu.
The sign that flickers in the snow structure reads “Driver WC”, followed by a red heart. If you look closer, you can see that inside the structure there is a wooden board that you can sit on and a roll of toilet paper hanging from a branch.
Lumivessa is a statement on the difficult situation of bus drivers. Kaleva news in 2022, that drivers sometimes have to defecate because there are no toilets at the terminus.
The snow toilet idea father's bus driver Kauko Simunan according to Oulu's local transport drivers have suffered from a lack of toilets for a long time. The problem has not been fixed, although the issue has come up from time to time.
Simuna came up with the idea of building a snow toilet to wake up the decision-makers and trustees to notice the problem again. He was pained by the fact that big social issues were on the agenda during the strike week, but this local but everyday problem for drivers has been going on for decades.
Together with one of his colleagues, Simuna grabbed a shovel and built a snow toilet. Another colleague took a picture of the structure, and a third colleague shared it on social media.
“Problem is real”, also says the bus driver Riitta Jussilawho updated the Puskaradio Oulu group on Facebook.
“Even in the summer, I don't dare to drink water during the shift, because you don't know when you'll be able to go to the bathroom again.”
According to Jussila, in some shifts the bus has to be driven 4–5 hours before the break, when it is possible to go to the bathroom at the break facilities of the employer, Koivisto Auto, in Tuira, Oulun.
“That's quite a long time to hold your pee,” says Jussila.
“It would be easier if some terminal stops had a toilet where you could go quickly.”
Oulu the city's public transport manager Helena Väliaho says that he saw a picture of a snow toilet.
According to him, it is partly true that bus drivers still have difficulties getting to the bathroom during their shift. According to him, it depends on the operator how the breaks are organized.
“Not all terminal stops have a toilet, at least in Oulu. It might have to be arranged somewhere else along the line. It does require planning.”
Buses there is good news for drivers. According to Väliaho, in Oulu, in cooperation with operators, where toilets are needed has been mapped.
“We have decided to get more toilets for the drivers. The project is planned to be implemented possibly during next fall. The schedule depends on our budget.”
City there have been no discussions with the bus drivers yet, Väliaho says. According to him, doing investigation work takes its own time.
“Drivers have the idea that nothing will happen because there are no stops yet. All the time, however, we promote the issue. It requires infrastructure planning and tendering, which is not quite simple.”
The project was started because the lack of toilet breaks for drivers has become a nationally talked-about topic, which political will was found to fix, says Väliaho.
According to him, according to the contracts, the responsibility for the matter would lie with the operators. However, the city wanted to implement the project to improve the industry's reputation and for human factors.
“Yes, the drivers are on the right track, the situation is difficult.”
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