Payphones
By Stephen Donahue
Payphones, once icons on streets worldwide, are vanishing as smartphones dominate the contemporary world. New York City’s last public booth was removed in May 2022 from the intersection of Times Square’s 7th Avenue and West 50th Street, ending what was the turn of the century in the 2000s. At its peak, there were over 30,000 phone booths in New York alone! That's about one to two payphones per street!
Invented in the late 1800s, payphones took over streets in the 20th century, offering universal access before personal telephones became affordable. In the US, calls cost 5 cents into the 1950s, rising to 25 cents by the 1980s; by 2018, only 100,000 remained nationwide. Most of the remaining payphones are no longer functional.
Back then, you’d shove in a quarter (25 cents) and dial. But they were always breaking—coins got stuck, phones were vandalized, or the line was busy. Then mobile phones came along. First the clunky ones in the '90s, then smartphones like the iPhone in 2007. Suddenly, payphones were old news. Don’t be frustrated with a phone outside; buy your own! Calls dropped from millions to almost nothing by 2014.
Hong Kong shares a similar story. The first payphone appeared in 1954 on Wyndham Street, growing to over 6,000 booths by the 1980s and '90s when many residents couldn’t afford personal phones. In busy spots like Central, you’d see two to three per main street. Usage tanked with smartphones; by 2016, numbers halved to around 3,000 as locals embraced high-speed data and free Wi-Fi stations.
Today, a few linger in Central and MTR stations, but they’re rare sights. Revenue per booth plummeted from HK$4,000 monthly in 2001 to HK$4–10 in 2025, with hundreds of calls shrinking to about two a month. In Sai Kung where I live, you might spot one dusty booth near the wet market, but no one uses it—everyone looks at WhatsApp or scrolls WeChat.
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Payphones, once an icon on streets worldwide, are vanishing as smartphones dominate the contemporary world. New York City’s last public booth was removed in May 2022 from Times Square’s 7th Avenue and West 50th Street; ending what was the turn of the century in the 2000s. At its peak, there were over 30,000 phone booths in New York alone! That's about 1-2 payphones per street!
Invented in the late 1800s, payphones dominated streets in the 20th century, offering universal access before personal telephones became affordable. In the US, calls cost 5¢ into the 1950s, rising to 25¢ by the 1980s; by 2018, only 100,000 remained nationwide. Most of the remaining payphones are no longer functional.
