Bengaluru police partner with loo-discovery app to locate washrooms for women officers

Woloo app helps Bengaluru policewomen find clean restrooms easily, tackling the issue of lack of access in the city.

”I needed to use the toilet really badly recently, but all the restaurants on the street either didn’t have bathrooms or said they were only for the staff. One of them told us we could use it, but only if we bought something, and everything there was so expensive. I had to leave early and come back home just to relieve myself,” said Meena, a young professional.

Lack of access to clean restrooms is a problem that many women in Bengaluru face. Despite a court order directing restaurants, cafés and other private establishment to allow public access to their restrooms, it is often not followed. It is to tackle this problem that the Bengaluru City Police have collaborated with Woloo, a tech-enabled loo-discovery platform that helps women find clean, hygienic toilets, to help women police personnel. Membership for the app will be free for a year for all women police personnel in Bengaluru.

“Many times, we are posted in junctions where there are no toilets nearby. It is difficult to go away from the post for a long time searching for restrooms. If it’s a good restaurant, the toilet will be good, but many times, it is dirty,” said Manjula, a constable.

“From constables to higher ranks, women police officers are posted anywhere and everywhere, and they don’t have washroom facilities. At that time, it is better to have a facility that can give them a clean, hygienic place to relieve themselves. The initiative by Woloo is providing membership for one year. Policewomen can log into the app and locate the nearby washroom.,” said Siri Gowri, DCP, Traffic, North.

Woloo has maintained a database of 600 washrooms across Bengaluru and 40,000 across India. Upon downloading the app and enabling location access, the app shows a list of nearby restrooms in retail stores, restaurants, cafes, and other establishments ranked according to hygiene. “The restrooms that qualify have to be safe, that is our priority. They must be on the main road accessible within the facility. We also periodically check for hidden cameras and ensure that it is clean,” said Manish Kelshakar, the founder of the app.

“Restaurants don’t often turn away police personnel. If they (Woloo) could tie up with Sulabh Shauchalya to make them cleaner and more hygienic, that would be good. There is also a need for restrooms in crucial junctions like Vidhan Soudha, Maharani Circle, and Hebbal where restaurants are not there,” said a woman inspector.