What are the rules on ‘loudcasting’ in Scottish public transport following changes in England?

A new campaign has been launched by the UK Government encouraging people to stop “loudcasting” and to “share the carriage, not the noise”.

Local authorities in England have been granted powers to create bus byelaws covering loud music, vaping and littering, with offenders facing fines of £100.

Offenders already face fines of up to £1,000 on the UK’s railways if they fail to comply with the rules, and could be thrown off services.

In a statement, Prime Minister Andy 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.

“Most people are considerate. They use headphones and they respect the people around them. But a small number don’t.

“That’s why we’re launching a new nationwide campaign across our railways, reminding people to use headphones instead of playing audio out loud. The message is simple: share the carriage, not the noise.”

However, the changes will not impact public transport in Scotland.

What are the rules for buses in Scotland?

When it comes to buses, there are no current plans to follow England’s lead with introducing fines for loud music or anti-social behaviour.

Instead, bus operators in Scotland can refuse travel to disruptive passengers.

The Scottish Government said it is planning to introduce a “code of conduct” for people travelling for free under any National Concessionary Travel Scheme.

This covers young people aged five to 21, older people over the age of 60, and disabled people.

If travellers are disruptive, they could have their free pass suspended or withdrawn.

A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “The Scottish Parliament has agreed Scottish Government proposals to have free travel entitlements under the National Concessionary Travel Scheme, including the under-22 entitlement, suspended or withdrawn where someone breaches a code of conduct while travelling for free.

“The code is being developed and expected shortly, and is designed to attach a real consequence to seriously disruptive or dangerous behaviour on buses.”

These plans do not apply to the remaining travellers who choose to travel by bus.

What are the rules on the railways?

On Scotland’s railways, disruptive passengers who play loud music that annoys others could face a court-imposed £1,000 fine following a referral by British Transport Police or Police Scotland. This applies everywhere in the UK.

In addition, the Scottish Government is looking to go further to deter anti-social behaviour, including loudcasting.

A spokesperson added: “The Scottish Government remains committed to tackling anti-social behaviour on Scotland’s railway.

“To support this, the Rail Enforcement Powers Working Group was convened to review police enforcement powers and how they are applied on the railway, and where they can be strengthened further.

“The group examined a number of different issues including fixed penalty notices for breaching the railway byelaws, banning orders, greater statutory protections for rail workers and youth justice approaches.”

Some recommendations have already come into force, such as increasing certain anti-social behaviour fines from £40 to £70.