WIREDGOV

TfL's Priority Seating Week is a dedicated week of action to raise awareness of priority seats across the public transport network.

• School children across the capital encouraged to bring Priority Seating Week to life with creative artwork, with three lucky winners receiving tickets to a Merlin Entertainments attraction in London
• New signage designs will be trialled on DLR trains to highlight priority seats, and encourage people to look up and give their seat to someone who may need it more
• More than 140,000 'Please offer me a seat' badges have been issued since they launched in 2017

Transport for London (TfL) is encouraging school children across the capital to express their creative talents and design a piece of artwork to mark the start of Priority Seating Week.

TfL provides priority seating to help customers, including those with non-visible conditions, parents with infants as well as older people to travel more safely and comfortably. There are designated priority seats in every train and tram carriage and on buses. They are normally found close to doors and should be clearly signposted.

The art competition*, which is open to children aged six to 14, calls for budding artists to submit photographs of an artwork they have created depicting why it is important for people to offer seats to people who need them. Children have until 17 November to apply, and entries will be judged by TfL's Independent Disability Advisory Group. Three lucky winners will see their artwork displayed on London's transport network and will receive tickets for a family of four to a Merlin Entertainments attraction in London, and three runners up will receive return tickets for a family of four for the IFS Cloud Cable Car.

TfL will also be marking the week by trialling new signage and designs on DLR trains, to highlight priority seat locations and encourage people to look up and offer their seat. This is in addition to the ongoing 'Access DLR' accessibility assistance trial** for customers who would like additional travel support on their journey.

TfL's customer inclusion plan, Equity in Motion, which was published in February, set out more than 80 commitments to make London a fairer and more accessible and inclusive city. One of these commitments was to conduct research into priority seating with a panel of disabled customers, and this was undertaken earlier this year.

The research looked at how likely people are to get a priority seat if they need one and showed that many of those who need a seat do get one. It also revealed that although many customers are doing the right thing and offering their seat, it is not always clear when someone needs a priority seat and people are not always paying attention to their surroundings to notice if there is someone in need of a seat. Separate research for the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) also showed that many people were unaware of the priority seating, which are not visually distinctive from other seating.

TfL's Priority Seating Week aims to help tackle this issue by raising awareness of the availability of priority seating across the public transport network and the importance of customers giving up their seat to other passengers who may be in a greater need.

There will be engagement activity throughout the week in stations and new posters across the transport network, as well as posts on social media.

Station staff on the Elizabeth line will promote TfL's 'Please offer me a seat' badge to make travelling easier and more comfortable for people with a range of needs and conditions who find it difficult to stand for the duration of their journeys.

Since its launch in 2017, more than 140,000 'Please offer me a seat' badges have been issued to disabled people and those with non-visible conditions. TfL has also issued more than 800,000 'Baby on board' badges in the last eight years alone following its launch in 2005. On the DLR network, customers can for the first time find both badges at staffed stations*** and the London City Airport information centre.

Seb Dance, Deputy Mayor for Transport, said:

“Making the public transport network accessible for all is a top priority for the Mayor, and Londoners can play their part by being aware of who's around them and offering their seat to those who need it, bearing in mind that not all disabilities are visible.

“I'm pleased to see TfL taking an innovative approach this Priority Seating Week, trialling new signage designs on DLR trains which will clearly highlight priority seats.”

Mark Evers, Transport for London's Chief Customer Officer, said:

“It is vital that we ensure that everyone can travel comfortably and safely, especially for those who might require more assistance. Travelling around London has been made easier for thousands of people thanks to our 'Please offer me a seat' and 'Baby on board' badges.

“We know from our research that there is still more we can do to make priority seats more visible and to encourage people to offer their seats to people who may need them. Our trial of new priority seating signage on the DLR, station engagement activity and art competition all aim to support this and inspire travellers to be kind and considerate to others.”

Joanna Wootten, Chair of TfL's Independent Disability Advisory Group (IDAG), said:

“IDAG knows how important seats, including priority seats, are for many disabled and older people in enabling them to travel and enjoy life in London.

“Priority Seating Week is a great initiative, and we are pleased it continues every year to highlight this whilst encouraging people to give up their seat for those who need it more.  We're excited by the competition and are looking forward to seeing the winning children's artwork on display. The children's posters will help to raise awareness of the importance of offering a seat to people who may need one, including people with non-visible conditions.”

Sunny Jouhal, Divisional Director for Merlin Entertainments' Gateway UK attractions, said:

“Merlin Entertainments is proud to partner with TfL during Priority Seating Week for this competition and offer family tickets as prizes to our London attractions, which are all fully accessible.

“Accessibility is a key priority for us at Merlin and we are committed to continue investing in facilities and training to make sure we create magical and memorable experiences for all our guests.”

Other accessibility commitments within TfL's Equity in Motion plan include:

• Meeting the Mayor's ambitious goal of making half of all Tube stations step-free by 2030
• Introducing mini ramps to cover the gap between the train and platform at all London Underground platforms that are step-free to train
• Launching an innovation challenge aimed at improving travel for disabled people
• More dedicated spaces for wheelchair users and buggies created on Bakerloo, Central and Waterloo & City line trains
• Publishing a study into how TfL will increase customer toilet provision
• Installing priority seating moquettes to 1,000 Routemaster buses by 2025
• Ensuring all frontline staff complete disability equality training

To enter the competition, children should email a picture of their artwork to PrioritySeatingComp@tfl.gov.uk before Sunday 17 November for a chance to win.

For more information about what TfL is doing to make London's transport network more accessible and the support available to customers, visit https://tfl.gov.uk/transport-accessibility/.

Notes to Editors:

• There are now more than 200 step-free stations across the TfL network. These include: 92 Tube stations, 62 London Overground stations, and all DLR stations and tram stops. All 41 Elizabeth line stations have step-free access, with the majority of central stations being step-free from street to train
• TfL has one of the most accessible bus networks in the world. All bus routes are served by low-floor vehicles with an access ramp and dedicated space for wheelchair users

*About the Priority Seating Week artwork competition 

• The competition will be judged in three age group categories - 6 to 8, 8 to 10 and 12 to 14. There will be a winner and runner up for each age group.
• Budding artists should submit photographs of artwork they have painted, drawn, woven or designed depicting or explaining why it is important to offer seats to people who need them
• Children have until 17 November to apply

 About TfL's 'Please offer me a seat' badge

• The free 'Please offer me a seat' badge and card acts as a communication aid between passengers by providing a visual clue to other passengers so that they can offer help by giving up their seat to those that need it
• It also takes away the potential confrontations that sometimes happen when approaching fellow passengers to ask for a seat
• The badge and card can be used on all TfL services and people don't need to explain their reasons for the badge and card with either staff or fellow customers
• More than 140,000 'Please offer me a seat' badges have been given to disabled people and those with non-visible conditions since they launched in 2017 
• Videos highlighting some of the reasons why people wear a 'Please offer me a seat' badge are available on request
• For more information and to request a free badge and card, visit https://tfl.gov.uk/transport-accessibility/please-offer-me-a-seat

***About the Access DLR trial 

• Transport for London (TfL) and KeolisAmey Docklands (KAD) are currently trialling an accompanied journey assistance service to help make journeys on the DLR more accessible, enabling customers to travel who may otherwise encounter barriers
• Customers with a confirmed booking are met at the start of their DLR journey (or other requested location on the network) by clearly identifiable Access DLR staff, who can accompany them throughout their DLR journey to provide the requested travel support
• DLR passengers can pre-book a timeslot for assistance with their journeys online or by phone at least two hours before their journey for travel seven days a week between 07:00 and 19:00
• Short-notice requests can also be made by phone for travel assistance less than two hours before a customer's planned DLR journey, although these are subject to staff availability at the time of travel
• Access DLR is open to anyone aged 18 and over who requires assistance to travel, covering a wide range of needs including mobility, visual impairments and mental health conditions. No proof of disability is needed to use the service
• More information about the service, including how to book, is available at https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/dlr/access-dlr 

*** From Priority Seating Week onwards, DLR will hold stocks of the 'Baby on board' and 'Please offer me a seat' badges at the London City Airport DLR information centre and staffed stations (Bank, Cutty Sark, Island Gardens, London City Airport and Woolwich Arsenal). Customers who would like a badge should speak to staff at these stations.

About TfL's Independent Disability Group

TfL's Independent Disability Advisory Group (IDAG) is a panel of 10 members, appointed for their lived experience of disability, as well as their extensive expertise and knowledge, of the key issues and barriers to accessing public transport.

IDAG provides strategic and practical recommendations which are based on best practice for inclusivity, informed by evidence and supported by lived experience.

About Merlin Entertainments:

Merlin Entertainments is a world leader in branded entertainment destinations, offering a diverse portfolio of resort theme parks, city-centre gateway attractions and LEGOLAND® Resorts which span across the UK, US, Western Europe, China and Asia Pacific. Dedicated to creating experiences that inspire joy and connection, Merlin welcomes more than 62 million guests annually to its growing estate, with over 140 sites across 23 countries. Merlin attractions in London are the lastminute.com London Eye, Madame Tussauds London, the London Dungeon, SEA LIFE London Aquarium and Shrek's Adventure! London.

An expert in bringing world-famous entertainment brands to life, Merlin works with partners including the LEGO® Group, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Peppa Pig, DreamWorks and Ferrari to create destinations where guests can immerse themselves in a wide array of brand-driven worlds, rides and uplifting learning experiences.

See www.merlinentertainments.biz for more information.