A San Francisco start-up called Good2Go wants to make it easy to find clean, well-lit bathrooms in any major city. And you won't have to touch a single surface inside them, either.
The company's iOS app, available Thursday, will present users with a map of nearby bathrooms at private establishments, along with a rough estimate of how long a user will have to wait in line there.
Once on site, users will wave an app-generated code at a sensor on the door to unlock it automatically, with no need to pick up a key at the counter or ask permission.
Good2Go plans to partner with businesses such as restaurants and grocery stores to put their bathrooms on its network. The start-up modernizes their facilities, installing "touchless" lights, sinks, hand dryers and toilets, all operated by waving a hand across a sensor. Even the door to a Good2Go bathroom opens automatically.
For now, Good2Go only works in downtown San Francisco, and its first partner is The Creamery, a cafe known as a hangout for start-ups, tech bloggers and venture investors. Good2Go also has partnerships with Peet's Coffee, Sextant Coffee Roasters and other local cafes.
The app is free for now, but the company plans to charge $2.99 for a day pass and up to $50 for a three-month-long subscription, according to Good2Go CEO Fran Heller.
She expects the app will appeal to drivers for services like Uber or Lyft, who don't want to lose money-making time searching for restrooms. "Too often, public restrooms are not open when you need them, or sometimes they're not even safe to use," Heller said. "Finding a bathroom just feels broken."
The company's got competition from free-to-use apps that map public restroom locations around the world, including a funny one called Sit Or Squat, developed by toilet paper brand Charmin.
Good2Go has raised $7 million in seed funding from some well-known angel investors, including John Elstrott, who was formerly chairman at Whole Foods Market, and Marc Randolph, a Netflix co-founder.