Tag:access=customers
 access = customers
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Restricted to customers at the destination. 
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| Group: restrictions |
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Status: de facto
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access=customers applies to features which may be used or accessed only by customers of a specific facility such as a shop or restaurant. It is also used for features that may be accessed by patrons of non-commercial facilities, such as schools and hospitals. Examples of such features are parking lots, toilets, service ways and entrances.
In some cases limitation applies only to some subset of transport modes, for example motor_vehicle=customers means that only customers may enter using a motor vehicle.
When there are several neighboring facilities, but access is allowed only for customers of a few of them, the tag customers=* can be used to specify whose customers have access.
If there is a charge to use the facility even for customers, add fee=yes. On the other hand, if non-customers can pay for the service, fee=yes + <empty>.
On a parking lot or garage (amenity=parking), this tag means that only customers may park there, but this does not necessarily mean someone is required to be a customer to travel along a service road within the parking lot. In other words, it is valid for a highway=service way to be access=yes even as it goes through an amenity=parking access=customers area. For example, in most regions, a typical parking lot in front of a supermarket would have access=yes on its parking aisles. However, a paid parking lot with a barrier=lift_gate at its entrance would probably have access=customers on its parking aisles to keep non-customers from using the parking lot as a shortcut.
Interpretation by data consumers
Data consumers will generally interpret ways with access=customers as forbidden for through traffic. For public transport services (route=ferry / route=train / etc.) and roads leading to the station / port, use access=permissive + toll=yes instead, to make sure that routing engines will allow usage of the transport for through-traffic.
The difference between access=customers and private is that in the former case, to use the facility, one has to be a customer i.e. purchase goods or buy a ticket. In the second case, a limited number of people have access to the facility, e.g. residents of a neighborhood, school students.
The prohibition on through traffic is similar to access=destination, but there are reasons for data consumers to interpret customers as more restrictive. For example, a way with access=destination usually provides access to multiple facilities, while a way with access=customers often provides access to only a single facility. Furthermore, a way with access=customers can often be further restricted by the opening hours of the corresponding facility.
Examples
- Swimming pool available only to hotel guests (customer – hotel guest).
- Park and Ride parking lot available behind the barrier for public transport passengers with a monthly ticket (customer – public transport passenger).
- Restroom available only to zoo customers (customer – zoo customer).
- Airport store or restroom in the departure area (customer – airplane passenger after check-in).
- Parking lot with a sign "for customers only" – such parking lots are unlikely to be charged. Note, paid parking at a supermarket should not be marked access=customers, but access=yes + fee=yes.
Paid facilities (with fee=yes)
- Parking at the hotel, due to the limited number of spaces, may be available only to customers and may incur an additional fee.
Note: a parking lot with tags access=customers + fee=yes is usually a wrong combination. Usually, anyone can usually park if they pay, so they are not "customers". If the parking lot is signposted "for customers only" then it is likely to be free. However, there are exceptions, such as parking lots at hotels, where only customers have access but still have to pay.