Blasting music on the bus isn’t just rude – it should be illegal
24 April 2025, 07:21
Too many of us know the frustration of hopping onto the bus,train or tube, hoping for a few minutes of peace (and a journey without delays)… only to have our ears assaulted by someone else's tinny phone speakers.
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It’s annoying, antisocial and completely unnecessary.
I know from my own experience how intimidating it can feel to approach someone and ask them to turn their music down, and it’s clear I’m not alone in that - polling we commissioned has found a majority of Brits (54%) say they would not feel comfortable doing this.
More worrying still - but perhaps not surprisingly - our data reveals that women feel more uncomfortable asking someone to stop their antisocial behaviour. 63% of women say they would not feel comfortable, significantly higher than their male counterparts at 46%.
Everyone - whether you are heading to work, travelling with your family, or simply trying to enjoy a moment of peace - deserves to feel safe on public transport. And it is absolutely scandalous that, as of now, there is no punishment for people who disrespect their fellow passengers by playing content on phones and devices out loud in an anti-social and intrusive way.
This is exactly why a policy like this is so important. The Liberal Democrats are calling for a change in the law to explicitly ban playing music and videos out loud from a phone on public transport in England. And we need to get serious about enforcement - which is why we think those who breach the ban should face fines of up to £1,000.
To push this forward, we are looking to introduce an amendment to the Bus Services Bill which is currently going through Parliament.
We would also look to promote this policy through a national publicity campaign to make clear that playing loud content on public transport is not acceptable, including posters on train platforms and at bus stops.
The Government should knuckle down and get tough on antisocial behaviour on public transport. Our plan would make sure that everyone can enjoy a safe, peaceful journey when using public transport.
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Lisa Smart MP is the Liberal Democrats Home Affairs Spokesperson.
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