A new badge specially designed to make travelling easier for people who find it difficult to stand has been officially launched by Transport for London on Friday 28th April 2017.

The blue ‘Please Offer Me a Seat’ badge is available to disabled passengers and those with hidden conditions, illnesses and injuries, to help them find a seat on public transport.

The badge, and accompanying card have been created following requests from customers who can struggle to get a seat as their need is not immediately obvious.

A six week trial with 1,200 people was held in autumn last year to test the new badge and card. More than 72 per cent of journeys were found to be easier as a result of the badge, and 98 per cent of people taking part in the trial said they would recommend it to somebody who needed it.

 

The free badge and card are now available through the TfL website
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Amy Baker, a person with lupus involved in the trial, said: “On a daily basis I struggle with fatigue and pain. I take a lot of medication to combat the symptoms but I also get side-effects from the medications, which are debilitating. I have every faith that now the badges have been fully launched, and wider audiences reached, there will be much more understanding of what exactly they are and why people are wearing them. I hope that the publicity can ease the lives of more people like myself who find it so painful and tiring to be standing when they shouldn’t be.”

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “These blue badges will make a real difference to passengers who need a seat but just haven’t felt confident enough to ask for one. I’ve no doubt they’ll soon become as recognisable across the capital as our popular Baby on Board badges.”

Mike Brown MVO, London’s Transport Commissioner, said: “The Please Offer Me a Seat badge and card demonstrate our commitment to making life easier for all our customers. The trial proved a great success, with the large majority of people finding the badge improved their journeys. I hope that its permanent introduction will allow more people to travel with ease and in comfort. As they become more widely recognised, more and more customers will be looking out for the blue badges and I hope offering their seat to fellow passengers with a greater need.”

Alan Benson, Chair Transport for All, said: “Transport for All is pleased to see the Please Offer me a Seat badge and card being rolled out. The feedback we received from members during the trial was that it made a real positive improvement to their journeys. We’re also pleased to see TfL continuing to encourage consideration of travellers who need a seat but choose not to partake in this voluntary scheme.”

Visit www.tfl.gov.uk/accessibility and follow @TfLAccess on Twitter for information on TfL’s Travel Support card or any other accessibility initiatives.