TfL embraces one creative's idea for 'Look up' stickers on the tube

Are you sitting comfortably?

It has long been an issue that people who are pregnant or have disabilities have a difficult job getting a seat on London’s Underground. 

Why? Because people are usually staring, head down, at their phones.  From Reddit rants to Mumsnet forums, the case was clear: something needed to be done.

Earnies' creative director, Lucy Baker, took to LinkedIn to offer TfL the solution: a campaign called Look Up. Creating a simple behavioural nudge for commuters, Baker designed a sticker which would sit on the floor of the tube carriage, beneath their comfortably seated feet.

“LOOK UP, give this seat to anyone who needs it more.”

The response was one of unanimous approval. 1,200 likes and 750,000 LinkedIn impressions later, TfL were under pressure to respond. Notably, many women took to the post to tell of their pregnancy commuting woes:

“This is AMAZING. When I was 6 months pregnant, I gave up my seat because nobody had spotted this other lady who was even more pregnant than me! Nobody looked up. So thank you, this is an epic idea.” - Rhi Hardy

“Hahah, I love this! I was pregnant with my first son ten years ago, then again with my youngest just last year. The difference in that time was so noticeable and absolutely bonkers! This time around, almost nobody looked up at all, everyone was completely glued to their phones.” - Dulcie Cowling

To our great joy, just two weeks later, TfL responded with this post:

“You asked and we listened! 🔊

A couple of weeks ago, we were tagged on a LinkedIn post (thanks Lucy Baker, see original post here) about having floor stickers to indicate priority seating, and we're happy to announce that we've taken the feedback and implemented a trial on the DLR trains.

This will hopefully encourage more customers to look up and stay alert so they can give up a priority seat for those who need it most.💺”

But we didn’t stop there.

Not content with just one tube trial, Baker took to the piano to write a parody song, riffing off the iconic “London Underground” anthem by Adam Kay. Cue virality.

The Metro, Daily Star, The Daily Express, Metro Online and multiple London media outlets all covered Baker’s song, resulting in a reach of 366 million.

Coverage highlights

“One woman’s idea could change how commuters give up seats on the Tube” - Metro

“Woman writes incredible song to encourage Londoners to look up on the tube:

A viral LinkedIn post from Londoner Lucy Baker calling for better signage on the floors of the tube sparked the attention of Transport for London earlier this year. Lucy told TfL, "People don't seem to be giving up their seats for pregnant or disabled people. Not because they aren't kind. More often, they're just staring down at their phones." - Metro Online

Engaging community

We gathered commentary from people with disabilities who are afflicted daily by the lack of seating to further bolster our case. Their words hit hard.

‘If you’re young and disabled, there’s almost like an unwritten social rule that says, “you’re young, you shouldn’t need this seat. It’s almost like feeling you’re not disabled enough to warrant accessibility.’ - Jamie, 27

‘It causes quite extreme pain, which makes it difficult to walk and stand – so, when I’m in London, walking 500 miles through the Underground to get to the train platform is difficult – and then if the train is busy, you’ve got no hope for a seat.’

The results

After 399M media impressions, TfL are now discussing a London-wide rollout of the signage.

Powerful behavioural change from a simple visual nudge, all for a total spend of £0.

Most importantly of all, more people who are in physical discomfort will hopefully be offered seats on London’s busiest transport network.

And we did it all with a LinkedIn post, a piano, and precisely £0.