£1,000 fines for public transport ‘headphone dodgers’, say Lib Dems

The Liberal Democrats are calling for new legislation to ban music from being played without headphones on public transport, including issuing fines of up to £1000. 

After a party-commissioned poll found 54 per cent of Brits feel uneasy asking others to turn down loud audio content, the Lib Dems are urging changes to the Bus Services Bill currently before Parliament.

Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Lisa Smart said, “Everyone deserves to feel safe and respected on public transport,” adding that this behaviour is intimidating for commuters.

“Far too many people dread their daily commute because of the blight of antisocial behaviour — and headphone dodgers playing loud music on buses and trains are some of the worst offenders,” she said.

“That’s why the Liberal Democrats are calling for tough action on those who show complete disregard for others by playing loud music in shared spaces, including fines of up to £1,000. It’s time to take a stand for the quiet majority who just want to get from A to B in peace.”

The Liberal Democrats are urging that not using headphones and playing sound aloud from a phone be added to this legislation, and punishable with a hefty fine.

The changes would be brought forward for trains to amend existing legislation known as railway byelaws. Many forms of unacceptable behaviour on public transport are already prohibited in existing railway and TFL byelaws, such as using threatening language or littering.

Local authorities would also gain powers to tackle loud music on buses by tightening existing antisocial behaviour rules.