COMMUTERS face being “squeezed for every penny” after a pay-per-use water fountain was spotted at a train station.
Jon Stone eyed the large white and blue machines in Lambeth, South London yesterday whilst on his commute.
The journalist captured a picture which he shared online of the bulky machine sitting outside of a Costa coffee shop in the station.
Charging thirsty punters for access to the basic human requirement, Brits have been left questioning the need for the machine – which is far more complex than a simple water fountain.
Images shared online show the large water tanks with two separate filling stations, one for pure chilled still water and a second for sparkling.
The front of the water cooler depicts a picture of a turtle heading towards a sheet of plastic with the word “enough”.
The water machine by company Ape2O offers 500 millilitres or one litre servings at a cost of 25p per 500 millilitres to any travellers at the station.
Passengers must have some form of card payment with them as the machine only accepts contactless payment or a Mastercard or Visa debit.
Jon shared his image of the water dispensing machine online yesterday with the caption: “So it’s like a water fountain, that you have to pay for, rail passengers squeezed for every penny.”
His post received 10,000 likes with hundreds of comments from fed-up rail users who were quick to offer their views on the gimmick.
One said: “Water without plastic but with an incredible over-engineered and complex solution requiring electricity and rare earth metals rather than a tap.”
Another added: “The founder of this company has a master’s in economics from Cambridge and all his previous experience is with alcohol companies. So yeah, greenwashing.”
A third replied: “We should also have free hot taps on trains and in train stations and airports like they do in China. Normalise making your own tea or instant noodles on the go.”
Another commented: “We don’t live in a hot country; I find myself able to go from one meal to the next without the need for constant hydration on the go.
“Don’t buy it, if no one does maybe they’ll think again.”
