A new app has launched in the UK which enables pregnant women to request a seat when they step on to public transport.
Babee on Board actually combines two apps which communicate via Bluetooth – which means it can be used on transport such as the London Underground even when users don’t have a data signal or WiFi.
Pregnant women in need of a seat use the request version of the app to send out an alert, which is then pushed to users who have the receiver version and tells them someone nearby needs a seat.
The alert version of the app costs £3.99 – a conscious move by the developers who said they felt the price would prevent it from being used by pranksters.
All the money raised from sales of the app will be donated to a children’s charity, the app’s makers said.
In London, pregnant women are already able to get a free “Baby on Board” pin badge to alert other commuters they’re in need of a seat.
South Korea also successfully trialled a scheme involving pink alert lights that flash when a pregnant woman wearing a Bluetooth-enabled badge boards trains in the city of Busan.
