A campaign to remind Londoners to check whether fellow bus or Tube passengers need their seat was launched on Monday.
Transport for London said the continued return to public transport meant that travellers who are less able to stand were struggling to find a seat.
Prior to the Easter holidays, weekday Tube journeys had reached 65 per cent of pre-pandemic levels and 82 per cent on the buses.
TfL is running a week-long “priority seating week” poster and social media campaign reminding passengers to be mindful of the needs of their fellow travellers.
This coincides with the fifth anniversary of the launch of its “please offer me a seat” badge, which have been given to almost 100,000 disabled people and others with “invisible” conditions since 2017.
Mark Evers, TfL’s chief customer officer, said: “We hope that during priority seating week even more people will benefit from using the badges, and that everyone travelling will be reminded that not all conditions are visible and will give their seat to someone who needs it more than they do.”
Amanda Jacobs, who has musculoskeletal conditions, said the badge helped her secure a seat “because you can’t see pain, fatigue and various illnesses or conditions”.
She said some passengers did not feel “brave enough” to ask others to give up their seat.
“The badge is so important to me personally, because when somebody looks up, sees I need to sit down and offers me their seat, I can relax and not worry about being injured and unable to live a full life for several months,” she said.
“Such a relatively small action by a fellow passenger respecting my needs can therefore have a hugely beneficial influence on my life for months to come.”
