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A smartphone app that alerts commuters if a pregnant woman needs a seat on public transport has been developed as a smart version of the “Baby on Board” badge.

The Babee on Board app aims to end Tube awkwardness or ignorance by alerting travellers who do not notice - or pretend not to notice - an expectant mother wanting to sit down.

The app’s City-based developers, 10x, said they also hoped it would also ensure the seated person knows for sure that the would-be recipient is expecting.

The agency said according to their research more than a third of pregnant women interviewed regularly stood during their commute because other passengers appeared too busy gazing at their phones or newspapers to look around them.

One mother said it was often in the early stages of pregnancy when there is no big bump that a seat is often needed most.

The app, currently on iOS, uses bluetooth so its works on the underground without the need for a signal or wi-fi.

Mothers-to-be can download a £3.99 “request seat” app to send the alerts, and anyone can download a second free app to receive requests and offer their seat.

Its developers said they decided to charge a fee to stop it being used irresponsibly and that all profits go to a children’s charity.

Once a passenger has received a notification that their seat is needed their phone gives an audio or vibrating alert.

Both the seated party and the recipient both then need to make eye contact for the exchange to occur.

The updated version of the app will include profile photographs easier pinpointing of position in a crowded carriage.

While the app relies on non-pregnant Londoners to also download the it, 10x said they were pitching to tech firms in the hope of integrating it into other platforms.

Hew Leith, the agency’s chief executive, told The Times: “The intention is that the service could be integrated into apps like Google Maps and Apple Maps, with a simple option in settings for people to receive our notifications.

“Recipients wouldn’t even need to download an app.”

Elizabeth Duff, senior policy adviser at The National Childbirth Trust, said: “Anything that helps women with a ‘baby on board’ to have a more comfortable journey can only be a good thing.