‘Please Offer Me a Seat’ 

New research has revealed that around one in four passengers feels awkward about offering their seat to someone who might need it more. A survey of 1,000 TfL customers also found that almost a third of passengers only believe that they should offer their seat if they are in a ‘priority seat’.

TfL aims to address these issues by raising awareness of how to make travelling easier for everyone, particularly those who may be in need of a seat. As of last week, customers will start to notice brand new designs on the fabric covering priority seats on the Jubilee line. Seats that feature six different messages, including ‘please offer this seat’ and ‘someone may need this seat more’, will be introduced across the whole Jubilee line over the coming months.

However, not only do many of us not look up from our books or devices while seated on the Tube, it’s not always obvious who might need your seat when we do… so, as well as a new campaign to encourage its customers to ‘look up’, since 2017, TfL has distributed more than 44,000 badges to disabled customers and those with invisible conditions.

Heidi Alexander, Deputy Mayor for Transport, said: “It’s vital that we make our transport network accessible to all Londoners and visitors, so I’m really pleased that distinctive new priority seats are being rolled out on the Jubilee line. I hope that they will build on the success of our ‘Please Offer Me a Seat’ badges to encourage even more people to offer their seat to those who need them.”

Read more about TfL’s accessibility service, and the next time you’re on the Tube, do look up!