all the pay phones have been removed, it seems.

[murray hill farm]

The stations remain, but not the phones. I have noticed this occurring for several years..and always thought it was just a matter of supply and demand. No demand because of cell phones. But now I am wondering if it is a matter of "homeland security" rather than no demand, since it is much more difficult to keep track of what calls are made, by whom and to where with a pay phone. I know there are still pay phones at most airports, but they require a credit card for use. Anyone know?

[Lone_Star_Dem]

1. Dunno about homeland insecurity

But I do know that our grocery has a pay phone in the parking lot near the gas pumps.

[aquart]

2. Penn Station has pay phones. So does the LIRR.

Now that even I have a cell phone, they hardly pay to maintain.

[MADem]

3. Unless you live near a truck stop, they're hard to find, for sure.

You can always buy one of those TRACPHONES for thirty bucks...but ya gotta have the thirty bucks!

[Viva_La_Revolution]

4. I have noticed this too

If you are in need of a phone, you have better luck asking the person next to you to use their phone rather than spending 20 minutes looking for a working pay phone. :(

That said, I think it's 'profits' rather than 'homeland security'. This trend started long before 9/11.

[Warpy]

5. The only one in my area is at Wally World

I think it's more that Ma Bell has yanked them when they've been trashed because they've become unprofitable. Most folks have cell phones, so public phones are unnecessary except for a few Luddites out there like me.

The pay phone at Wally's charges half a dollar for a local call.

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. It's because of cell phones

[Rosemary2205]

7. It's because of vandalism.

I have a friend who works with Bellsouth on subcontracting out payphones. About the only places now you'll find them are in 24hr inside places (groceries, big bus stations, airports) where it's more difficult to vandalize - and even then it's still pretty common.

[karlrschneider]

8. They're pretty common around here, they even replaced the old ones with new recently.

...

[murray hill farm]

9. Thanks, you all!

I always know just where to go when I have one of "those" questions. Ha! Thanks, Pat

[supernova]

10. Drug dealers

They used to take them out becuase deals were being made through pay phones... untraceable to the communicants. I don't know if that's still true.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

14. I think they mostly use throw-away phones now.

More convenient for the drug dealer on the go.

[blues90]

11. HERE it southern calif most are gone

I saw one but it was broken and the ones here are now verizon . Bell telephone has simply gone to hell along with most everything else for public use , try and find a restroom if you need one of those . If you do you will piss your pants waiting in line for the keys while people buy the candy and crap at the over priced gas stations . Pump your own gas is another way to cut back the labar force too . Lets face it this country has gone completley to hell in a hand basket made in china .

[NightWatcher]

12. there are less trashcans than before and that is for "security"

and there are none, but a few cardboard boxes around during a "high profile" event

[lonestarnot]

13. It was that scare deal again. Flesh eating virus. Heh.

[Captain Hilts]

15. Drug dealers used them, so they were removed from some locations. It's maddening...

trying to find one at times.

[Uben]

16. Most pay phones are owned by companies other than

the big telephone companies, and they just aren't that profitable anymore. Unless they have a hot location where they can get enough traffic to make it worthwhile, they are removing them. They are having to charge fifty cents a minute to make a profit, so you can see why they are dwindling. If you have an entreprenourial spirit, maybe you could wear a shirt that says "Pay cell phone available" ! Charge a buck a minute! Yeah! That's it!

[rasputin1952]

17. They've been disappearing, but there are still a few here in

NE. For sure at the Comm College here, and a few at mini-marts around town. Boox stores have them as well...but the ones that used to be out in the public on sidewalks, are pretty well gone.

It hit 50 cents a call around here, and that didn't help at all...:(

[HockeyMom]

18. I got my cell two years ago

when my car broke down. I walked almost a mile in the pouring rain to find a 711, only to find they didn't have a pay phone. Nobody on line for their coffee offered to let me use their's. I found a church down the street, woke up the clergyman, who let me in out of the rain, made me a cup of tea, and let me use his phone.

Having AAA doesn't mean squat, if you have no way to CALL them. Yes, after that I broke down and got a cell phone.