Recently, Music City Riders United, a group of MTA riders working to improve the transit system, circulated a photo of the men’s bathroom at Music City Central:
Music City Central is MTA’s central bus station next to the state capitol. Fox 17 is reporting that the MTA is promising to fix the problem only after being publicly shamed.
The bathroom has looked like this for weeks. And there is usually no toilet paper available and no water in the sinks.
Later on, Music City Riders Union compared Music City Central’s restrooms to those of Riverfront Station, which serves the Music City Star commuter train:
From my observations,over months if not years. The damage to the Men’s restroom at the MCC,is not caused by the MTA or RTA bus riders. Black. White or any other color. The only people I ever see using the Men’s room, are non ridng bus transients, that hang around the bus station at all the entrances and exits. They lounge around all day. They take in their backpacks and personal belongings,cans of beer and bottles of whisky etc. Many use the MCC restroom as a cleanup place. Cleaning teeth,washing,and dumping off discarded filthy soiled clothing. There is no security checks that I ever see in there. The Riverfront station,is a totally different story. The restroom is inside the main station office. There are staff there,while the building is open. That alone keeps out loiterers. If the MMC had their restrooms in the waiting lounges at MCC,where there are cameras installed,and the MTA security officers patrolled those waiting lounges,then I firmly believe,that the restrooms wouldn’t be vandalized. Maybe MCC should copy other countries in the way they allow access to restrooms. Charge a entry fee 10-20 cents. That would cover part of the cost of the salary of a attendant..