Bus and train anti-social behaviour fines face enforcement doubts
The government is promoting £100 bus fines and up to £1,000 rail fines for loud music, vaping, littering and threats, but questions remain over who will enforce them.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Passengers in England who play loud music or videos on buses could be fined £100 under a government campaign to tackle anti-social behaviour on public transport. The measures also cover vaping, littering and threatening behaviour. On trains, existing rules allow passengers who are asked to stop and refuse to be removed or fined up to £1,000.
The Prime Minister has labelled the behaviour 'loudcasting'. The campaign will tell passengers to 'share the carriage, not the noise' and will be promoted on operator websites, social media and in carriages. Ministers say public transport should be safe, clean and quiet.
How the rules would work - On buses in England, local authorities have been given new powers to issue £100 fines. - Fines will be issued by police and specially trained transport safety officers, not bus drivers. - On trains, existing powers remain: passengers who refuse to stop can be removed or fined up to £1,000. - The campaign is partly an awareness drive, with posters and reminders.
Passengers gave mixed views. Some said noisy phone use is disrespectful and has become worse. Others said a £100 fine is too much or questioned whether it would be enforced. Campaigners for better transport said the policy could help encourage people back on to buses and trains. The Unite union said the measure was 'wholly inadequate' because it did not deal with abuse against bus workers. The Liberal Democrats said enforcement would be key and would need funding.
The main doubt is enforcement. There is no extra funding and no extra officers. Bus drivers will not issue fines. Police and transport safety officers are already stretched, and it is unclear how many will patrol buses or who will pay for them. On trains, British Transport Police, guards and ticket inspectors can enforce rules, but critics say existing powers are rarely used.
Figures reported from a Freedom of Information request found that existing powers to issue fines had been used just four times since 2020. Two warnings were issued, and no further action was taken in two other cases over five years. The transport body said prosecutions were low because passengers usually comply when asked. The government hopes the threat of fines and the information campaign will change behaviour, but the test will be whether the rules are used and whether passengers notice a difference.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Widely reported · 6 or more of 7 channels | |||||||
| Transport officers and police can issue £100 fines on buses under new local authority powers. | Not reported by GB News | ||||||
| Reported by a few · 2–5 channels | |||||||
| Questions were raised about enforcing the measures, including how police would be called to board buses, and bus drivers were noted as already facing a challenging job. | Reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | ||
| Rail passengers who refuse to comply can be removed or fined up to £1,000. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by GB News | ||||
| An information campaign would run across operator websites, social media and in carriages. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC News | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | ||
| Broadcasters reported different versions of the campaign slogan, referring either to sharing the journey or sharing the carriage. | Reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News |
| A transport crackdown covers loud noise, littering, vaping and threatening behaviour. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News | |
| Only on one channel | |||||||
| A report said Andy Burnham's crackdown could be undermined by limited enforcement, with existing powers used four times since 2020 and the transport body attributing low prosecutions to passengers usually complying when asked. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Campaign for Better Transport said there were more urgent issues, including violence against women and girls. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Daniel Hannan questioned whether a single central government policy was needed. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| ITV News reported there was no extra funding and no extra officers for the campaign. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by GB News | Reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| Ministers said anti-social behaviour ruins journeys for regular passengers. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| Shami Chakrabarti said public stigma and social norms may be more effective than legislation. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| The Liberal Democrats said enforcement would be key and require funding, with uncertainty over how many specially trained officers would be deployed and how this would be funded. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC News gave a straight policy report, setting out the new bus and train penalties, the 'loudcasting' label and the public reaction in Manchester. It also flagged the central enforcement question, noting that bus drivers already face a difficult job and that police may not be available to board buses.
- “The Prime Minister labels it loudcasting, along with playing loud music or clips”
- “Rail passengers who are asked to stop and refuse can be removed or issued with a fine of up to £1,000.”
- “Bus drivers, for example, have a very, very challenging time already.”
Sky News treated the story as a live explainer, focusing on how the fines would be policed and who would carry them out. It stressed that bus drivers would not enforce the £100 penalties, that transport safety officers and police would, and that funding and staffing were unresolved. It also carried union criticism and commuter reaction.
- “people who played loud music on buses and are asked to stop now can be fined up to £100”
- “And this will be enforced by police and also specially trained safety officers rather than the bus drivers themselves.”
- “Although it's well-meaning, it's wholly inadequate.”
BBC TWO's Politics Live turned the announcement into a panel debate about personal responsibility, localism and whether new laws can change behaviour. The discussion was sceptical about central government action and repeatedly returned to who would enforce the fines and pay for extra staff. It also contrasted legislation with social stigma.
- “Ministers are launching a campaign to crack down on anti-social behaviour on public transport. Will it make a difference?”
- “this is one of those situations where you should rely on stigma rather than legislation.”
- “where is the enforcement going to be?”
5 framed the story in plain terms as 'shut up or pay up', mixing policy details with vox pops from Greater Manchester. Its reporting accepted the popularity of the move but highlighted that bus drivers will not enforce it and that transport officers and police may not be present. The tone was accessible and sceptical about practical delivery.
- “Shut up or pay up”
- “Don't expect bus drivers to come marching down the aisle It'll be down to authorized officers and the police to enforce the rules”
- “The proposed crackdown has been welcomed by campaigners, but some have questioned how it can be enforced.”
BBC ONE West ran a regional bulletin package that repeated the main policy points and tested them with passengers in Southampton. The emphasis was on everyday disruption and whether the rules can actually be policed, with warnings that bus drivers already have risky jobs. It treated the campaign partly as an attempt to set behaviour standards.
- “There'll be fines of up to a hundred pounds on buses in England and even more for antisocial behavior on trains”
- “Bus drivers, for example have a very very challenging time already risky jobs”
- “Stopping this won't be easy When all most passengers want is a ticket to tranquility”
ITV1 led with scene-setting reporting from stations, including an on-bus confrontation and interviews with passengers and a transport campaign group. Its later bulletin was more explicit that the policy has no extra funding or officers and may amount to an awareness campaign. The coverage balanced public support with doubts about enforcement.
- “Passengers who play music or videos out loud, vape or litter on public transport could face tougher penalties under new government measures.”
- “There's no extra funding. There's no extra officers. Bus drivers aren't allowed to give them.”
- “The reality is this is more of an awareness campaign by the government.”
GB News used the story to question whether the crackdown can work, leading on a newspaper report that enforcement is already weak. It cited Freedom of Information figures showing existing powers were rarely used and hosted a panel that called for visible policing and test cases. The tone was highly sceptical of government competence and enforcement.
- “Andy Burnham's crackdown on people playing loud music on public transport could be undermined by a lack of Enforcement”
- “A Freedom of information request last year revealed that they had used this power just four times since 2020”
- “Prosecutions were low because passengers usually comply with any request”
Who was on air
People and organisations each channel put on air while covering this story. Channels' own presenters and reporters are not listed. Names as transcribed, and the list can miss people.
- 05:24 BST
Dom Joly, obnoxious commuter
BBC News · Mon 19 Oct
- 12:16 BST
Shami Chakrabarti, Labour peer
Politics Live · Mon 19 Oct - 12:20 BST
- 12:21 BST
- 13:44 BST
Michael Solomon-Williams, from the Campaign for Better Transport
ITV Lunchtime News · Mon 19 Oct - 13:44 BST
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.