Passengers who play loud music on buses in England could face fines of up to £100 under new government measures to tackle antisocial behaviour on public transport.
The proposed crackdown also targets littering, vaping and threatening behaviour, with the aim of improving journeys across the country’s public transport network.
Under the new powers, local authorities could issue fixed penalty notices of up to £100 to offenders on buses. The government has also issued guidance to councils on using the powers, which were introduced earlier this year.
However, the new rules must still be approved by the Transport Secretary before they can take effect.
The government said bus drivers would not be responsible for enforcing the rules. Instead, authorised officers, including Transport Safety Officers and the police, would handle incidents.
On trains, laws prohibiting loud music and singing have been in place since 2005. The government plans to remind passengers of the rules through a national campaign with the slogan “share the carriage, not the noise”.
The campaign will run across train operators’ websites, social media platforms and carriages.
Under existing rules, passengers who refuse to stop playing loud music when asked could be removed from a train or fined up to £1,000.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said loud music played through mobile phones could spoil journeys for other passengers.
“We’ve all been on the train when someone starts blasting music or videos from their phone. It gets on your nerves and can quickly spoil the journey,” he said.
The practice, sometimes called loudcasting or sodcasting, has attracted criticism from passengers. Polls published by Ofcom, YouGov and Transport for London (TfL) in recent years have shown that most people dislike hearing other passengers play audio aloud.
Chris McDonald, Minister for Science, Research and Innovation, said passengers could report incidents to transport staff or the British Transport Police.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast, he said passengers could complain to staff “or the British Transport Police if they wish”.
“They don’t have to tackle the individual themselves if they don’t feel confident to do that,” he said.
Justin, from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, welcomed the proposed measures but questioned how they would be enforced.
He told the BBC that noise on public transport had stopped him from using buses “due to the levels of antisocial behaviour including this unwanted attendance to someone’s social media doom scrolling audio concert”.
He added that he would “much rather enjoy my own company with my own music in the isolation of my car”.
TfL, which operates the London Underground, already has byelaws prohibiting passengers from playing music or other content aloud.
The transport authority said enforcement officers would initially ask offenders to stop.
“Most people comply at this stage,” it said.
However, passengers who refuse could be asked to leave the train or reported for possible prosecution.
Maryam Eslamdoust, general secretary of the TSSA transport union, welcomed the government’s plans but called for stronger action to protect passengers and transport workers.
She described tackling antisocial behaviour on public transport as “a step in the right direction”.
However, she said the government must “urgently confront the violence, threats and abuse faced by passengers and transport workers”.
“Increasing the budget for British Transport Police is vital to protect people, respond to incidents and bring violent offenders to justice,” she said.
Dave, from Derby, also questioned how the proposed rules would be enforced on buses, particularly when only one driver was on duty.
“Who is going to police this legislation on a bus? The solo driver? I think not as he would probably be verbally abused at best and assaulted at worst,” he told the BBC.
Michael Solomon Williams, from the Campaign for Better Transport, said antisocial behaviour could discourage people from using public transport, particularly those with accessibility needs.
He also raised concerns about enforcement, questioning how local authorities would secure police support when incidents occurred on buses.
“When local authorities are required to do the enforcement there are perhaps some question marks about how a local police force might be called upon on bus services, for example, where we don’t tend to see British Transport Police,” he said.
Shadow transport secretary Richard Holden said the Conservative Party had “led the charge” against antisocial behaviour on public transport last year.
However, he argued that passengers and railway staff continued to face more serious problems.
“Assaults against rail staff have risen by 68%, while prosecutions have slumped under Labour. It’s time for Andy Burnham to get serious about enforcement, tackling violence and protecting those who work on our railways,” he said.
Liberal Democrat transport spokesperson Olly Glover also questioned whether the government would provide sufficient resources to enforce the new rules.
“Unless the government funds transport safety officers on the ground, these new rules won’t be worth the paper they’re printed on,” he said.
Independent watchdog Transport Focus said its research showed that personal safety and security had become fundamental to passengers’ confidence in the railway.
Alex Campbell, from Transport Focus, said: “Four in 10 passengers say that anti-social behaviour has made them feel vulnerable when travelling.”
He added: “Measures that reduce nuisance behaviour, such as playing loud music and vaping, can help improve people’s experience and encourage more people to choose public transport.”
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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