UK unveils £100 bus and £1,000 rail fines for loud music under Burnham's new campaign

The UK Department for Transport (DfT) announced on 19 October 2026 a campaign against passengers who play music or videos out loud on buses and trains without headphones, according to a government press release. The campaign was presented by Prime Minister Andy Burnham alongside Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander. The press release is headlined "Share the journey, not the noise," while the recurring public-facing slogan used throughout the government's own text is "share the carriage, not the noise," according to GOV.UK.

What was announced

On buses in England, local transport authorities can now set byelaws to tackle nuisance behaviour, a power the government says took effect on 5 August 2026 under the Bus Services Act 2025, according to the GOV.UK announcement and reporting by dmnews.co.uk. The guidance lists nuisance behaviour as including playing music or video without headphones, littering, vaping, threatening behaviour and smoking, and allows fixed penalty notices of up to £100.

On trains, the DfT campaign does not create a new offence. Existing railway byelaws already cover excessive noise, and the government says passengers who refuse to stop playing audio aloud when asked by rail staff can be fined up to £1,000 or removed from the train at the next station, according to the GOV.UK announcement.

Enforcement on buses is assigned to authorised transport safety officers and the police rather than bus drivers, according to GOV.UK. The guidance recommends a three-step approach of engagement, explanation and enforcement before any penalty is issued.

The legal basis

Section 29 of the Bus Services Act 2025 is titled "Transport for London byelaws" and inserts new byelaw-making powers specifically for Transport for London into the Greater London Authority Act 1999, according to the text published on legislation.gov.uk. Under this section, fixed penalties cannot exceed £100, and anyone issued a notice has 14 days to pay before prosecution can follow, the legislation states.

Separately, GOV.UK and dmnews.co.uk report that equivalent fixed-penalty byelaw powers for tackling bus nuisance apply to local transport authorities across England generally, as part of the wider Bus Services Act 2025 framework, with that England-wide power said to have taken effect on 5 August 2026.

Each new byelaw requires confirmation from the Secretary of State for Transport before it can be enforced, according to the GOV.UK announcement.

Quotes and reaction

Burnham described the measures as a simple step intended to make journeys more pleasant for passengers, according to the GOV.UK statement. Alexander said that even small changes in behaviour could make a big difference to people's experience of public transport, per the same statement.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham criticised the government's proposals as insufficient to address wider safety concerns facing bus workers, according to reporting by AOL. The Liberal Democrats had separately proposed a £1,000 fine for bus passengers who play music without headphones, a higher figure than the £100 cap the government has set.

Background

Andy Burnham is the UK Prime Minister and previously served as mayor of Greater Manchester, according to GOV.UK and other reporting on the announcement. In January 2026, Reuters reported that Burnham was seen as a potential leadership rival to then-Prime Minister Keir Starmer, after Burnham said he would seek a return to the UK Parliament.

The issue predates the national campaign: Transport for London began its own "headphones on" poster campaign on the Elizabeth Line on 26 August 2025, after a survey of 1,000 Greater London residents found 70% considered loud music or phone calls without headphones a nuisance, according to Yahoo News. Deputy mayor for transport Seb Dance said at the time that the campaign would remind and encourage Londoners to be considerate of other passengers, the report said.