Old bus is transformed into a mobile bathroom for the homeless in San Francisco

• Doniece Sandoval, 52, a former marketing executive came up with the idea
• She wanted to give the homeless a private place where they could wash
• The state of the art vehicle will help them during the Thanksgiving holiday
• There are more than 3,500 homeless residents in San Francisco
• But the city only has eight public showers to accommodate them
• The city is also in the midst of a 'tech boom' and gentrification, say locals

By Belinda Robinson For Mail Online

Published: 14:02 EST, 28 November 2014 | Updated: 22:43 EST, 28 November 2014

A decommissioned bus has been transformed into a mobile bathing facility for San Francisco's homeless community giving them a well-deserved place to bathe.

Doniece Sandoval, 52, a former marketing executive came up with the concept after she noticed how few places allowed homeless people living on the street to have a wash.

She was spurred into action after she saw a young woman on the street, crying that she would never be clean.

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Bus: Doniece Sandoval, 52, a former marketing executive came up with the concept and found the bus

Help: Ms Sandoval says she wanted to help homeless people with the bus and its facilities

Cleaning station: Thanks to a $75,000 refit, the bus now has two complete bathrooms with a shower, sink, toilet and changing room

The state of the art vehicle will help those in need of a wash during the Thanksgiving holiday as it has two complete bathrooms with a shower, sink, toilet and changing room thanks to a $75,000 refit.

There are more than 3,500 homeless residents in San Francisco, yet the city only has eight public showers to accommodate the homeless.

Her non-profit, Lava Mae, launched in 2013 and the first bus is now running.

It is hoped a full service will launch in spring 2015, with it spreading cross-country. It caters to male, female and disabled passengers.

In a video promoting the free service, Ms Sandoval explains to viewers that it offers '20 minutes of compete privacy and respite to hopefully recharge yourself in a lot of ways.'

She continues: 'Lava Mae's not about ending homelessness.

After seeing the rise of gourmet food on wheels, she decided apply the same idea to washing.

Novel idea: A decommissioned bus has been transformed into mobile bathing facility for San Francisco's homeless community in a bid to 'restore dignity one shower at a time'

All welcome: It caters to male, female and disabled passengers and is free of charge

The bus, however, has been operating since the summer.

'What we are about is providing hygiene, because we believe hygiene brings dignity and dignity opens up opportunity,' she said.

Her bus visits the worst affected areas including Mission district as well as the downtown 'Tenderloin' area.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency has donated one bus for the cause and is willing to provide three more if the Lava Mae project succeeds.

Meanwhile the city's Public Utilities Commission has also agreed to let the mobile bathrooms plug into fire hydrants if the water is paid for.

Planning process: It took several months to see how the passenger bus could be turned into a bathing facility

The scheme comes at a time of heightened tension in the city, as a tech boom is blamed for taking the soul out of the area over the past two years.

Silicon Valley companies Google, Facebook and Twitter, many of whose workers commute to work from San Francisco, have been accused of ignoring the homeless problem.

Today, the city once known for hippies and a laid back culture has some of the most expensive apartments for rent in America and is undergoing gentrification.

The average one bedroom place in San Francisco costs $3,100 - $105 more than New York City.