Many train companies around the world have designated seats for elderly travelers or pregnant female passengers. The idea is that a passenger sitting on one of the designated seats should vacate the seat and allow the older person or pregnant woman to sit down, to avoid people who fall into this category from standing for the duration of the journey. The degree to which this happens is variable, based on whether an older person or pregnant woman embarking onto the train is noticed and the extent that the passenger occupying the designated seat cares.
The aspect of noticing is being addressed through the piloting of new software. The pilot is taking place in South Korea.
The scheme is called the Pink Light campaign, and it works by pregnant women carrying sensors. When they board a train, a woman can activate the sensor. This triggers a pink light to glow above the priority seat, signalling to any passenger that the seat should be vacated.
In the first trial, the sensors have been used by 500 pregnant women in the city of Busan, traveling along the Busan-Gimhae Light Rail service. The trial was, according to the BBC, a success, although some women reported they were embarrassed by using the sensors. Furthermore, in some cases, the use of the sensor and pink light did not lead to the seat being offered to the pregnant woman.
The pink light sensors have six months of battery life and need be carried outside a bag for maximum signal strength, according to the company (also called Pink Light) behind the initiative.
The technology has revived mixed reviews of Twitter. Stine Eckert (@StineEckert) tweeted she was “not sure what to make of this. Pink Light in #SouthKorea alerts people when pregnant women need seat in train.” However, nurse Maddie McMahon was more positive, comparing the system to London’s system of posters and stickers on seats.
