Why?

There have always been those who find the Payphone Project and ask one question: Why? Why maintain a web site that lists payphone numbers and locations throughout the world?

In fact the value of this web site has been written about in many places, most memorably for me in a front page New York Times story of May 13, 2004; a story which detailed (among other things) a mother’s use of this web site to track down her runaway daughter.

The value of this site has changed over time, and I am first to say that it is not as valuable as it once was, nor was it ever as valuable as it might have been had I found a reliable flow of current data linking payphone numbers to exact physical locations.

Nevertheless, today I received an e-mail like one from the old days of this web site — a message from someone who used information on The Payphone Project to connect her troubled daughter to an exact location. This is one of many reasons this site has continued to exist, and I wish that someone with access to current payphone locations and numbers would see the value in making this data regularly available to the public.

Here is the message I received today:

“Many thanks for keeping that payphone info available. my daughter called me from one with a not so good message. now because of your web site i know the exact last point of our contact. and the other companies were going to charge me money for that. when you are stressed about a loved one you don’t need to be decieved about info that need not cost you any thing. although if i had it i would have paid but desperation and hope made me continue to look for your answer again many thank you’s”