Loud Music on Public Transport Could Result in £100 Fines

Passengers who play loud music on buses in England could face fines of up to £100 as part of a government effort to curb antisocial behaviour on public transport. The new powers, introduced earlier this year, allow local authorities to issue fixed penalties for offences including loud music, littering, and vaping. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander stated that small changes in behaviour “can make a massive difference to people’s experience on public transport.” The government clarified that bus drivers will not be responsible for enforcement, with authorised officers, including Transport Safety Officers and the Police, handling incidents.

A national campaign, “share the carriage, not the noise,” is also being launched to encourage rail passengers to use headphones. This aims to create a “clear, consistent message across the network” and end the “patchwork” of approaches previously used by different rail operators. The phenomenon of playing music without headphones, sometimes referred to as “loudcasting” or “sodcasting”, has been widely disliked, with polls from Ofcom, YouGov, and Transport for London (TfL) demonstrating broad public disapproval.

Maryam Eslamdoust, general secretary of the TSSA transport union, welcomed the crackdown on antisocial behaviour but urged the government to also address the “violence, threats and abuse” faced by passengers and transport workers, calling for an increased budget for the British Transport Police. Michael Solomon Williams from the Campaign for Better Transport noted that antisocial behaviour can deter people from using public transport, particularly those with accessibility needs.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham stated, “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.” Existing powers already allow for removal from a train or a fine of up to £1,000 for those who refuse to comply with requests to lower the volume.

Where they differ

• GB News framed the announcement as a Labour crackdown on antisocial behaviour, while BBC US presented it as a government-wide initiative.
• GB News led with the fine amount, while BBC US opened with the broader scope of the measures targeting multiple forms of antisocial behaviour.

What is not yet known

• The specific mechanisms for how local authorities will implement and enforce the new powers remain largely undefined.
• The extent to which the campaign will impact passenger behaviour is currently unknown.

Background

• The UK government introduced new powers allowing local authorities to issue fixed penalty notices for antisocial behaviour on public transport earlier this year [Fact Refinery, 2026-10-16].
• Ofcom, YouGov, and Transport for London (TfL) have all conducted polls demonstrating public disapproval of playing music without headphones on public transport, a practice sometimes called “loudcasting” or “sodcasting” [Fact Refinery, 2026-10-16].
• Existing legislation already allows for the removal of disruptive passengers from trains and fines of up to £1,000 for non-compliance [Fact Refinery, 2026-10-16].
• The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has recently issued fines to several companies for misleading sales tactics, including false claims about time-limited offers [Fact Refinery, 2026-10-14].

Our reading

Our reading is that the government is attempting to address a widely recognised nuisance on public transport through increased enforcement powers, while simultaneously framing the issue as part of a broader effort to improve passenger experience. The differing media coverage, one outlet highlighting the punitive aspect and another the wider scope, suggests a degree of political positioning around the announcement. The emphasis on a national campaign and “clear messaging” indicates a desire to move beyond inconsistent local approaches.

What to watch

• The publication of detailed guidance for local authorities on how to implement and enforce the new fixed penalty notices [Government website/official press releases].
• Passenger numbers on buses and trains in the coming months, to assess whether the measures and campaign have any measurable impact on public transport usage [Office of Rail and Road/Department for Transport statistics].
• Reports of fines issued for loud music on buses, to gauge the level of enforcement and whether it targets this specific behaviour [Local authority websites/Freedom of Information requests].

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