Giving up your seat on public transport for a pregnant woman should be a no brainer. This, however, is quite some distance from the reality.

In 2016, a blogger named Anna Whitehouse conducted an experiment. She wore a fake bump on the London Underground in soaring summer temperatures to see how many people would give up their seat for her. Only four out of 10 people did. “I find that people are either too engrossed in their phones to be aware of their surroundings, or won’t offer their seat unless prompted,” she said.

Dr Oliver Scott Curry, quoted in an article on BBC Online, said that selfishness and inattention play a part, but so does passing the buck: "Everyone can be waiting for someone else to do it, thinking 'why should it be me? I'm exhausted'.” Rising transport costs, too, increases the sense of ‘seat entitlement’.

Then there’s the potential unbearable awkwardness of potentially getting it wrong. Another study showed that one in four commuters hadn’t given up their seat for a 'pregnant' woman in case she wasn't actually expecting a child. Or patronising them with the suggestion they need help.

So, Hoop, a family activity-booking app for parents with children of all ages, conducted their own study among pregnant women and mothers to get their side of the story. It revealed that over a quarter of pregnant women (28%) have felt ignored on public transport, with the current ‘Baby on Board’ badges shown to not be visible enough. There was a clear opportunity for Hoop to step in, helping them to reach their audience of parents with a campaign that’s genuinely helpful.