Brits playing music out loud on a bus could be slapped with a £100 fine as part of Andy Burnham’s new crackdown on antisocial behaviour.
Bus and train passengers will be asked to “share the carriage, not the noise” as part of new powers being handed to local authorities to clamp down on “the actions of an inconsiderate few”.
The Prime Minister has encouraged councils to use new powers to crack down on loud music, littering, vaping and threatening behaviour on public transport.
Local authorities have been handed new powers to levy fixed penalty notices of £100 on bus passengers playing loud music, though these new rules will need to be signed off by the transport secretary.
Transport secretary Heidi Alexander said: “It is so frustrating when the actions of an inconsiderate few spoil journeys for the rest of us, whether that is vaping, littering or blasting music out loud.
“Even small changes in behaviour can make a massive difference to people’s experience on public transport.”
The government is issuing guidance to encourage councils to use new powers, introduced in August this year, to crackdown on antisocial behaviour on buses.
Bus drivers will not be responsible for enforcing the new rules, the government said. This will be left to transport safety officers and the police.
‘Nobody wants pounding techno’
The government is also launching a new campaign to remind train passengers that they could face a fine of up to £1,000 for refusing to stop playing music aloud, according to existing rules.
Burnham said: “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.
“So, we’re launching a nationwide campaign reminding passengers to use headphones on trains. It’s a simple thing, but one that will make journeys that little bit better for all of us.”
Richard Holden, the shadow transport secretary, said Labour is “finally catching up with the Conservatives on issues passengers really care about”.
“After we led the charge against antisocial behaviour on public transport last summer, ministers have worked out that nobody wants to endure pounding techno or blaring hip hop on a packed train or bus,” he added.
Holden said the government should now crack down on the “far more serious problems” facing public transport passengers and staff, like aggressive behaviour.
Assaults against rail staff have increased by 68 per cent under the Labour government while prosecutions have slumped, the Tory shadow minister said.