Do we need public phones ?

Question

Do we really need payphones now that most people have mobiles?

Are they out dated? A traditional red phone box in a village looks great. But its just an ornament. Who should pay for it when it needs painting or its vandalised. BT, the council or a mixture of both?

Answer 1

Wait until you're old and don't understand new technology - old people don't all have mobiles and would be totally lost without a public phone if they were stuck.

BT make enough money to pay for the mantenance.

Answer 2

Yes they should stay incase of an emergency or for those without access to a phone ,

Answer 3

I'm in the USA and not everyone here has a mobile/cell phone.  we have a pay phone outside where I work because my boss won't let anyone use the work phone but staff.  the phone company is responsible for repairs or upkeep on the pay phone.  lots of times I come to work and someone's sitting on the bench using the pay phone.

Answer 4

No, we don't need public phone boxes. Mobiles are so cheap and everyone's got one now.

Answer 5

Yes, we need public phones. A lot of people can't afford cells, or simply don't need the extra expense of them if they don't make many calls. But i've been on the streets many times before where I needed to call a cab or call someone for directions and I would have been up the creek without a phone there. A cell for me is unreasonable since I only make and receive about 3 phone calls per week.

Answer 6

It shouldn't be vandalised, should it?

Answer 7

Yes we do.

1) Not everyone owns a mobile phone. I know it is hard to believe, but a lot of people, particularly elderly people feel as if they don't need a mobile.

2) Phone boxes shouldn't be vandalised in the first place, CCTV cameras should be set up and (usually) the children who vandalise them should be made to pay.

3) They make look great as they are exactly like the red London buses, however I have been left without a mobile phone many times, usually whilst walking, my phone doesn't have a signal. If anything happened, I would need to have a public phone in a small village so I can call for help.

So yes, I think we do need them.  

Answer 8

Public phones are still needed - there are quite a few people (not just the 'older' generation) without a mobile. Yes, you can get mobiles quite cheap, but there are some that it is an unnecessary expense. Even people with mobiles may find they bneed a public phone - they could be in an area of poor reception (yes, there are a few of those!) or the battery goes flat, anything.

Answer 9

yes. I can't afford a cell phone. I have a home phone but the other day I had a  problem with the service and i couldn't even call the company to come and repair it. There are no pay phones in my city. If i had not had a nice neighbor who let me use her phone, I still would have no phone service. I still had to wait several hours for her to come home so i could call them and by then it was too late to get it repaired till the next day. i am disabled and had I had an illness/accident, i would have been in trouble. Contrary to popular belief, not everyone has a cell phone or can afford one. I live in a city that the only cell phone company that i could possibly get here that has good service..the phone would cost me $150 plus $80 a month with a 2 year contract. That is half of my pay check every month.

Answer 10

Yes, we still need public pay phones because there is always the chance that you may have forgotten your cell phone, it might have gotten damaged, you might have forgotten to charge your cell phone, or your in an area where there is no cell service such as some mountainous areas of the United States. It should be the phone company's responsibility to maintain the phone booth. It is still essential to public safety.

Answer 11

I was thinking about this the other day.. what would happen if you lost your mobile or the battery went flat, your car breaks down or whatever..what do you do then without a public phone?