Rent A Porta Potty
How much does it cost to rent a porta potty? The cost of porta potties for rent can vary wildly from as low as $75 to $435 every 28 days, and that’s just with a single weekly service (or even no service at all). The price can go up from there. That is the simple answer, but as in life, not everything is as simple as it seems.
You have an event coming up, and doing your due diligence, you head over to your search engine of choice and type in “how much does it cost to rent a porta potty” only to be met with numerous websites with “request a quote” forms and no answer in sight (Or highly incorrect answers as seen on costowl). While there is a good reason for this, I aim to do my best and give you a solid answer while explaining all the variables that go into porta potty pricing.
Location, Location, Location
Where you are located plays a massive role in a porta potty’s price; not only your area but your distance from our terminals. If you live next door to one of our terminals, the price will obviously be much lower than it would be if you are in our extended service area, many miles from our nearest terminal. There is a factor of time and fuel cost that goes into the price. There is also the matter of fees and tax rates imposed by your local governments. One city may have some random fee that others do not. For instance, Galveston, TX has an 8% “franchise fee” for dumpster rentals. Texas as a whole has its own 4% franchise fee AND a $7.50 environmental fee. Gross, I know, but we have to abide by these regulations so that we may serve you in these areas.
You Get What You Pay For
The cost of a porta potty is mainly dependent on what type of unit you want. Pot-O-Gold carries several different types of porta potties to fit your needs, and some are more expensive than others. For instance, our cheapest unit on average is our standard porta potty. These are your average, run-of-the-mill units. These come with one service per week, and the price on these can vary from $75 – $159.50 per month. Our handicap accessible and ADA portable toilets are on the more expensive end of the spectrum. They are much larger than our standard porta potties, and they have extra amenities such as grab rails, etc. These units start at $175 per month and can climb higher than $435 depending on how many services per week you want.
Competition in the Market Place
This is where we get down to the nitty-gritty of your local markets. Every local market is different. The presence of competitors forces everyone in the market to price their products competitively. If the market is small and there are a lot of competitors, the price for your unit will be lower than it would be in a much larger market due to the unbreakable laws of supply and demand. Our Houston, TX service area sees the most amount of pressure. It is our most competitive market. There are a lot of porta potty companies who operate within the greater Houston area and they all want your business. There is also a very high demand for porta potties due to the constant growth of the city. If there were fewer competitors in the area, the price of porta potties would rise. As more move in, the price will fall. If Houston stops growing for whatever reason and the demand for porta potties falls, the price will fall. It’s a very delicate game of tug-of-war.
Times of Crisis
This subject is a little touchy, but it is the honest-to-goodness truth. When mother nature decides it wants to take a big dump on us, causing all kinds of damage, the price of porta potties obscenely skyrockets. Some may see this is price gouging, but I promise you it isn’t. First off, the demand for porta potties goes through the roof and the supply doesn’t get much larger. Because everyone now needs a porta potty, we would completely run out if they were rented out at the normal price. Businesses and governments would rent far more than they needed leaving nothing for everyone else. It’s the same principle as pricey water during a flood. If the water was still $5 per case, people would buy way more than they needed, leaving none for the next people. That $40 case of water might make you mad, but you only buy one or two cases instead of 10. It’s the market’s way of rationing. This isn’t the only factor in the increased prices of portable toilets during times of crisis. You have to figure in how much the company is spending trying to service these areas. Let’s say Pensacola, FL was completely underwater. Pensacola is one of our smaller markets so we don’t have a massive fleet over there. A lot of our drivers would have to drive from Texas and Louisiana to help. Some of them would make multiple trips bringing more and more porta potties. Then there is the cost of lodging. The drivers have to sleep somewhere. Every one of these drivers are also working 16-20 hours a day. They are working hard for you. Then you factor in the increased price of food, fuel, and many other things, and you have yourself a very expensive operation. There are those who understandably scoff at seemingly bloated prices of commodities in times of crisis, but I hope I opened your eyes just a little bit so you can see the other side.
The X Factor
Every company that provides a service has to have excellent customer relations and organization. I would like to say that Pot-O-Gold is among the best in this regard. If there is an issue with your order, you want to have customer service take care of it as quickly as possible while remaining professional and courteous. You want the delivery guys and the pump truck drivers to greet you with a friendly smile all while performing their duties to absolute perfection. When your units get serviced, you want them looking like they are brand new. These are Pot-O-Gold’s values. We try to deliver that X factor that is often overlooked. We realize that our units aren’t always the cheapest, but we make up for it with that little extra effort that we put into making our customers completely satisfied.
In Conclusion
As you can see, it’s very hard to get an accurate price on a porta potty from a simple web search. There are a lot of factors that are constantly at play. Pot-O-Gold aims to help lift the veil a little to give you, our loyal customers, some insight on the cost of a porta potty.