PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Jon Caceres, Founder & CTO of PeePass
2:04:51
·
126 sec
Jon Caceres, Founder & CTO of PeePass, testified in strong support of two proposed bills addressing public restroom accessibility in New York City. He shared insights from hundreds of interviews conducted by his team, highlighting the critical need for better restroom access across the city.
- PeePass is a newly launched mobile app that helps users locate restrooms in NYC, containing over 400 crowdsourced locations with live data and user reviews.
- Caceres emphasized that while private apps can help, it is ultimately the city government's responsibility to provide adequate restroom access.
- He urged the city council to pass both bills, stating that bathrooms are a necessity for public health, dignity, and the enjoyment of public spaces.
Jon Caceres
2:04:51
Hi.
2:04:51
Good morning, chairman wrestler, and everyone else.
2:04:54
My name is John Casettis.
2:04:55
He said my name perfectly, by the way.
2:04:56
So thank you for that.
2:04:58
I'm a software engineer, and I am a co founder and a CTO of a startup called P Pest.
2:05:02
We're new to the game.
2:05:04
My team and I just launched a mobile app on the App Store dedicated to helping New Yorkers and visitors locate restrooms across the city.
2:05:10
I'm here today to speak in strong support of the 2 proposed bills, both of which aim to address the critical issue of public restroom accessibility in New York.
2:05:18
Going to sound like a broken record here, so bear with me.
2:05:20
In my capacity as a cofounder, my team and I have conducted hundreds of interviews with a wide range of people across the city, residents, tourists, city workers, and those who simply enjoy spending time outdoors.
2:05:31
Their stories never my own frustrations as well as everyone else's frustrations, but they also provide a deeper insight into how these issues affect different communities in unique ways.
2:05:41
We've all heard these stories before, and these stories and experiences led to the conception of PFAS.
2:05:46
We're doing things differently, trying to do things differently.
2:05:49
We're an app that contains over 400 locations, crowdsourced, just like got to go, and managed by users of the platform.
2:05:55
But it's not a Google Maps layer.
2:05:57
It's not a Google Maps list of outdated information.
2:06:00
It contains live data along with hours.
2:06:02
Users can add reviews and ratings as well as submit possible issues with restrooms.
2:06:07
They can also add new restrooms along with photos to help users of the app locate them.
2:06:11
And I think that if four people can build something like this in less than 6 months than soak in the city, the fact that residents have had to step in to create these tools highlight the severity of the problem.
2:06:21
We're not a comprehensive and complete solution.
2:06:23
This is not a problem that private apps or individuals can solve.
2:06:26
It is fundamentally the the city government's responsibility and obligation to provide adequate restroom access for residents and visitors.
2:06:34
I urge the city council to pass both these bills.
2:06:37
Bathrooms are not a luxury.
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They are a necessity.
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And they allow people to move freely through the city, to enjoy its public spaces, and to maintain their dignity and health.
2:06:45
It is my hope that through these bills, New York can finally become a place where access to restrooms is no longer a source of stress or anxiety, but a basic service that everyone can rely on promoting the well-being of all of our residents and visitors.
2:06:56
Thank you.
