Lib Dems call for ban on people playing loud music on public transport with fines for “headphone dodgers”

EMBARGO: 22:30 23rd April

• Liberal Democrats demand action on scourge of “headphone dodgers” playing loud content on trains and buses
• Poll reveals a majority of Brits wouldn’t feel comfortable asking someone to turn down their music on public transport
• Lib Dems warn “it's time to take a stand for the quiet majority who just want to get from A to B in peace"

The Liberal Democrats are calling for tougher action, including fines of up to £1,000, to tackle the rising trend of music and videos being played out loudly on public transport.

It comes as a poll has found over one in two Brits (54%) say they would not feel comfortable asking someone to turn down their music on public transport.

The Liberal Democrats are calling for change in the law to explicitly ban playing music and videos out loud from a phone on public transport in England, with those who breach the ban facing fines of up to £1,000. The party said they will be seeking to amend the Bus Services Bill currently going through Parliament to bring forward the changes. The move would be promoted through a national publicity campaign to make clear that playing loud content on public transport is now banned, including posters on train platforms and at bus stops.

It comes as a poll commissioned by the party has found the scourge of noise on public transport is widely felt by the public. Almost two in five (38%) say they have experienced people playing music out loud often or sometimes, while only 28% reported that they experienced this rarely. Furthermore, the majority of Brits (54%) say they would not feel comfortable asking someone to turn down their music on public transport.

In particular, women feel more uncomfortable asking someone to stop their antisocial behaviour. The majority of women (63%) say they would not feel comfortable - a significantly higher number than their male counterparts (46%) who say the same.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Lisa Smart MP said:

"Far too many people dread their daily commute because of the blight of antisocial behaviour — and headphone dodgers playing loud music on buses and trains are some of the worst offenders.

“Whether you're heading to work, taking your kids to school, or simply trying to enjoy a moment of peace, everyone deserves to feel safe and respected on public transport. Time and time again, I hear from people who say they feel too intimidated to speak up when someone is blasting music or other content from a phone or speaker.

“That’s why the Liberal Democrats are calling for tough action on those who show complete disregard for others by playing loud music in shared spaces, including fines of up to £1000. It's time to take a stand for the quiet majority who just want to get from A to B in peace.”

ENDS

Notes to editors

The changes would be brought in for trains through amending existing legislation known as railway byelaws. A number of forms of unacceptable behaviour are already prohibited in existing railway byelaws and TfL railway byelaws, including dropping litter or using threatening language. The Liberal Democrats are calling on the Government to amend this legislation to make clear that playing music and videos out loud from a phone also counts as unacceptable behaviour, and should be punishable with a fine of up to £1,000.

Local authorities would also be empowered to do the same for buses by strengthening  existing antisocial behaviour rules regarding music being played on buses. This would be brought in through amendments to the Bus Services Bill currently going through Parliament.

Methodology: Savanta interviewed 2,174 UK adults aged 18+ online between 21st and 23rd February 2025. Data were weighted to be representative of the UK by age, sex, region, and social grade.