Transport for London (TfL) has joined the Look Up campaign, started by customer Corry Shaw, which asks people travelling on public transport to look up to see if someone is in greater need of their seat.
From this week, TfL has added Look Up messaging to a range of station and train announcements.
Alongside this, there are further measures to raise awareness such as promotional posters in station halls, messages on digital advertisements and social media activity. TfL will also include the Look Up messaging in regular communications to its employees, who are the strongest ambassadors for building awareness. This supports TfL’s existing Travel Kind campaign, which encourages customers to be considerate of one another when using public transport.
Corry Shaw, who is disabled and lives with chronic pain that means she needs a seat when travelling, caught the attention of the public last month through press and social media. Although she uses a TfL ‘Please Offer Me a Seat’ badge, Corry has found the majority of commuters avoid eye contact, sometimes unintentionally, which can make it difficult to ask for a seat. As a result, Corry launched the Look Up campaign and called upon TfL and the Mayor of London to support her plea to customers to look up and offer their seat to people in greater need.
TfL’s ‘Please Offer Me a Seat’ badge was launched in April 2017, supporting customers with a range of conditions, invisible impairments and illnesses, helping them to travel without fear of having to stand in pain or discomfort. More than 30,000 have been issued to disabled customers and those with invisible conditions.
