"Please offer me a seat" badge and card
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
2017
This circular pin-back badge, accompanied by a card and an information pamphlet, was designed in-house and manufactured by Transport for London (TfL) in 2017. The badge measures 5.5 cm in diameter and is fitted with a safety pin fastening on the reverse. The associated card measures 5.4 cm high by 8.5 cm long, and the folded information pamphlet measures 21 cm high by 9.8 cm wide, extending to 29.2 cm wide when unfolded.
The badge features the white text inscription 'Please offer me a seat' set in two lines above the white Transport for London roundel logo against a solid blue background. The blue tone was selected from TfL's corporate palette for its calm and neutral character, aligning visually with the colour used in the International Symbol of Access while creating high contrast with the white typography to ensure visibility and legibility.
The accompanying blue card carries the white inscription 'Please offer me a seat.' above the smaller text 'Remember not all impairments and conditions are visible.' It incorporates a tactile indent along its left side to allow blind and low-vision users to orient the card by touch.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
Transport for London launched the 'Please offer me a seat' scheme in April 2017 following a trial in September 2016. It was developed to help travellers with both temporary and long-term conditions obtain seating on Tube and bus services, addressing the reality that up to 80% of disabilities are invisible. The concept was inspired by James McNaught, who had created a 'Cancer on board' badge during cancer treatment and joined the 2016 pilot. TfL issued 26,000 badges in 2017 and more than 180,000 by 2025, distributing them without requiring proof of disability.
Identification
- Source note
- Transcribed from the Victoria and Albert Museum collection record for this single object; how far it represents a wider collectible type has not been independently verified.
- Museum object name
- "Please offer me a seat" badge and card
- Museum object number
- CD.16-2025
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.