Passengers who blast music on buses face £100 penalties under new powers

Passengers who play loud music on buses in England could be fined up to £100 under government measures to crack down on antisocial behaviour, alongside action on littering, vaping and threatening behaviour across public transport.

Offenders on buses could be issued with the fines under new powers for local authorities. Laws against playing loud music, and indeed singing, on trains have existed since 2005, but the government will remind rail passengers of them with a national campaign asking people to "share the carriage, not the noise". The campaign will appear across operator websites, social media and in carriages.

The proposed crackdown has been welcomed by campaigners, though some have questioned how it can be enforced. "We've all been on the train when someone starts blasting music or videos from their phone," said Prime Minister Andy Burnham. "It gets on your nerves and can quickly spoil the journey."

The phenomenon has acquired several names, among them loudcasting and sodcasting, and in recent years Ofcom, YouGov and Transport for London have all published polls showing the vast majority of people dislike it. Under existing powers, those asked to stop and who refuse can be removed from a train or fined up to £1,000.

The government said it had issued new guidance to local authorities on powers introduced earlier this year to help them tackle loud music and other antisocial behaviour on buses in England. The powers allow councils to impose new rules on buses, though these still require sign-off by the Transport Secretary. Those who commit offences could face fixed penalties of up to £100.

Ministers say bus drivers will not be responsible for enforcing the new rules; authorised officers, including Transport Safety Officers and the police, will deal with incidents. Asked how fines would be enforced, Chris McDonald, Minister for Science, Research and Innovation, told BBC Breakfast that passengers could complain to staff "or the British Transport Police if they wish". He added: "They don't have to tackle the individual themselves if they don't feel confident to do that."

Justin from Newcastle-upon-Tyne welcomed the proposal but wanted to know how it would work in practice. He told the BBC that noise on public transport had stopped him using buses "due to the levels of antisocial behaviour including this unwanted attendance to someone's social media doom scrolling audio concert". He said he would "much rather enjoy my own company with my own music in the isolation of my car".

Transport for London, which operates the Underground, already has byelaws prohibiting people from playing music or content aloud. It said enforcement officers would first ask the passenger to stop. "Most people comply at this stage," it said, but if someone refuses they may be asked to leave the train or reported for possible prosecution.

Maryam Eslamdoust, general secretary of the TSSA transport union, said tackling antisocial behaviour on public transport was "a step in the right direction". She added, however, that the government must "urgently confront the violence, threats and abuse faced by passengers and transport workers", arguing that increasing the budget for British Transport Police was vital to protect people, respond to incidents and bring violent offenders to justice.

Dave from Derby raised a similar concern: "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."

Michael Solomon Williams of the Campaign for Better Transport told the BBC that antisocial behaviour could be a "real deterrent" to people using public transport, especially those with different accessibility needs. He too questioned enforcement, noting that where local authorities are required to act "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".

Richard Holden, the shadow transport secretary, said the Conservatives had "led the charge" against antisocial behaviour on public transport last year, but added that passengers and railway staff faced more serious problems. "Assaults against rail staff have risen by 68%, while prosecutions have slumped under Labour," he said. "It's time for Andy Burnham to get serious about enforcement, tackling violence and protecting those who work on our railways."

Olly Glover, the Liberal Democrat transport spokesperson, said: "Unless the government funds transport safety officers on the ground, these new rules won't be worth the paper they're printed on."

Transport Focus, the independent watchdog, said its research showed personal safety and security were now fundamental to passengers' confidence in the railway. "Four in 10 passengers say that anti-social behaviour has made them feel vulnerable when travelling," said Alex Campbell of Transport Focus. "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."