Transport · West London ·
Bus passengers in England could face £100 fines for loud music and vaping
New government guidance explains how councils can bring in fines for antisocial behaviour on buses. In London the power sits with TfL, which has not yet said whether it will use it.
Bus passengers in England who play loud music, vape, drop litter or behave in a threatening way could be fined up to £100 under new powers for local transport authorities.
On Monday, 19 October, the government published guidance telling councils and other local transport authorities how to use byelaw powers brought in by the Bus Services Act 2025. Each area can now write its own bus byelaws, backed by fixed penalties of up to £100.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham backed the crackdown on antisocial behaviour on public transport. He said people blasting music "can quickly spoil the journey".
How the fines would work
The guidance is in two parts. The first part, which is not statutory, covers how authorities should write byelaws. The second part is statutory and covers how the byelaws should be enforced.
Bus drivers will not hand out the fines. Transport safety officers and police officers will issue them, and passengers will first be asked to stop what they are doing.
The new rules will not take effect everywhere straight away. Each local transport authority has to draft its own byelaws, and none can be enforced until the Transport Secretary has approved them. Different parts of England may therefore bring in the rules at different times, or not at all.
What it means for London
In London, buses are run by Transport for London (TfL), so any new bus byelaws in the capital would be up to TfL. That includes routes through Southall, Hayes, Ealing, Hounslow, Uxbridge and the rest of West London. TfL has not yet said whether it will use the power.
TfL already has byelaws that ban passengers on the London Underground from playing music or other audio out loud. It also has byelaws for its bus stations and other road transport premises, covering matters such as smoking, alcohol and queuing.
TfL has said its enforcement officers would first ask passengers to stop playing audio out loud.
Rules on trains
Railway byelaws already cover noise on trains, and they have been in force since 2005. Passengers who refuse to turn off their audio when staff ask them to can be removed from the train at the next station, or prosecuted and fined up to £1,000 by a court.
The government has also linked the campaign to publicly owned train operators, saying they can give passengers a more joined-up and consistent experience.
Andy Burnham became Prime Minister on 20 July 2026, after Sir Keir Starmer. Before that he was Mayor of Greater Manchester, where he was closely involved in bringing buses back under public control.
Passengers who see antisocial or threatening behaviour on London buses can report it to the driver, to TfL, or to the police. In an emergency, call 999.