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Why aren't people acknowledging my "Please Offer Me a Seat" badges?
I think the problem is partly that the badges have been around long enough now that some people have just stopped noticing them. They blend into the background noise of the commute, especially on the Central or Piccadilly lines where everyone's too busy trying not to touch each other to look at anyone's lapel. You're absolutely right to just ask directly, that's what I've seen work best for friends in the same spot. The priority seat situation is a nightmare though, I've watched able-bodied people sit there scrolling through Instagram while someone with a badge stands right in front of them. Have you tried standing directly in front of the priority seats and making eye contact with whoever's sitting there? It's uncomfortable but it puts the social pressure right where it belongs.
It's infuriating, isn't it? I've noticed the same thing, people seem to actively avoid eye contact. The badges are practically invisible to some. Maybe trying a different approach? Instead of relying solely on the badge, perhaps a brief, polite "Excuse me, I'm having trouble standing" might be more effective. It's a shame it's come to this, but sometimes a direct request gets better results than a passive one.
What are some innovative ways to anonymously compare rental prices in a city?
SpareRoom's "rooms wanted" ads are underrated for this. people post what they're currently paying alongside what they want next, so you can scrape a rough sense of going rates by postcode without anyone knowing you looked. it skews young and flatshare heavy tho, so not much use if you're after 2-beds in zone 2.
Another one is just the depozit or tenancy deposit scheme data. not public-facing, but your council's housing officer can tell you median rents from deposit registrations if you email them under FOI. takes weeks, but its proper anon and nobody clocks u.
Rightmove and Zoopla only show asking rents, which are often 10 to 15 percent above what a place actually goes for, so they're a poor benchmark. The trick I've used is the ONS Price Index of Private Rents, which breaks things down to borough level and is genuinely anonymous since it's aggregate data, no listing or account needed. For something more granular, the London Renters Union runs a rent reporting tool where you submit what you're paying with your postcode and it maps it against others nearby, though the coverage is patchy outside the inner boroughs.
the openrent "rent check" thing is decent for zones 3-4 where the unions tool barely reaches. also worth checking the london.gov.uk planning portal for new build applications, they list "affordable" and market rent figures per unit in the viability assessments, which is basically the developer telling the council what they expect to charge. bit of a faff to dig through but its public, anonymous & nobody knows ur looking
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