London bus passengers could face £100 fines for blasting music out loud in antisocial behaviour crackdown

Londoners who blast music or videos from their phones on buses could face £100 fines in a bid to crackdown on antisocial behaviour on public transport.Passengers who vape, litter or play music without headphones could be penalised as local authorities are encouraged to use new powers to clamp down on nuisance behaviour.The crackdown could have implications for London's busy bus network, which carries millions of passengers across the capital every day, although it remains unclear how the new powers would apply to Transport for London (TfL) services.A nationwide campaign, launching on Monday, will urge passengers on trains to use headphones rather than play music or videos out loud.The campaign will tell passengers to “share the journey, not the noise”, with offenders potentially facing fines of up to £1,000.Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: “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.He added: “It’s a simple thing, but one that will make journeys that little bit better for all of us.”Local authorities gained the power to set and enforce their own rules on their bus networks earlier this year, and guidance published on Monday by the Department for Transport sets out how the new legislation can be used.Those rules will need to be signed off by the Transport Secretary, and will be enforced by specialist transport safety officers rather than bus drivers.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.Read More“Even small changes in behaviour can make a massive difference to people’s experience on public transport.”Antisocial behaviour on public transport has become an increasingly prominent issue, with the Liberal Democrats calling for action against “headphone dodgers” last year.Ben Plowden, chief executive of the Campaign for Better Transport, said antisocial behaviour could be “a real deterrent” to using public transport.He said: “If these new powers are properly and visibly enforced, they should help everyone feel safe and comfortable on public transport and enjoy the ride.”But Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said that while the measures were “well meaning” they were “wholly inadequate” to deal with the “avalanche of escalating abuse” faced by transport workers.She said: “The proposed penalties are not going to deal with the issues facing workers.“Our members are demanding and deserve protections at work that these proposals do not address.”Lib Dem transport spokesman Olly Glover said: “I’ve repeatedly pushed ministers to take the scourge of antisocial behaviour on our public transport seriously, but this latest response barely scratches the surface.“Commuters deserve to travel in peace and quiet. We want a £1,000 fine to hit repeat offenders where it hurts and make it crystal clear this behaviour won’t be tolerated.“Tough talk means nothing without enforcement. Unless the Government funds transport safety officers on the ground, these new rules won’t be worth the paper they’re printed on.”