I created this to document the state of payphones today and the surrounding areas. I've already been doing this for quite a while, but I only kept my findings to myself. I'll also post news of my own payphone fleet here.
I've been using payphones all my life, mostly around my early teens before the pandemic I would travel all around the Philly/Bucks region mostly relying on payphones to communicate, and a tablet with Google Voice in case there isn't any nearby. Living without a cell phone felt like true freedom.
But then the pandemic hit. At first, it seemed that everything was going to be fine. But then the two largest PSPs in the Philly region, Newtel and Quartercall pulled out of the biz. In Philadelphia, there are now around 50 left, down from around 150 in 2021.
When that happened, I decided to start my own fleet of payphones in 2022. At first, it's been going well but now it's starting to struggle, but I'm not giving up yet.
I also maintain a map of active payphones in the region, which can be viewed here.
-MG, owner of Bucks Co. Payphones.
