Burnham confirms £100 bus fines for 'headphone dodgers' as DfT guidance goes live
DfT guidance published Monday 19 October lets English councils fine bus passengers up to £100 for loud music, vaping and littering; the rail "share the journey, not the noise" headphone campaign launches the same day.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has confirmed the crackdown on noisy passengers, as the Department for Transport published guidance on Monday (19 October) allowing English councils to fine bus passengers up to £100 for nuisance behaviour such as playing music or videos without headphones, vaping or littering. The announcement follows the Sun on Sunday report covered by Flip News on Sunday of ministers’ planned blitz.
Under the guidance, reported by PA and carried across Mansfield Radio and Sunshine Radio, local authorities can set byelaws under powers introduced by the Bus Services Act 2025 that took effect in August. Each set of rules must be signed off by the Transport Secretary, and fines will be enforced by specialist transport safety officers rather than bus drivers.
“We’ve all been on the train when someone starts blasting music or videos from their phone,” Burnham said. “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. On top of that, we’re giving local leaders new powers to tackle loud music, vaping and littering on buses.”
A rail campaign with the slogan “share the journey, not the noise” launches on Monday to remind train passengers to use headphones, with fines of up to £1,000 for those who refuse an authorised staff member’s request to stop, PA reports.
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.”
Reaction was split. Ben Plowden, chief executive of the Campaign for Better Transport, said anti-social behaviour could be “a real deterrent” to using public transport, adding the powers “should help everyone feel safe and comfortable” if properly enforced, while Unite general secretary Sharon Graham called them “wholly inadequate” to deal with the “avalanche of escalating abuse” faced by transport workers. The Liberal Democrats, who called for action against “headphone dodgers” last year, The Independent reports.
Also covered by The News (Pakistan).
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