Frequent train user Tom Burnett has proposed that Andy Burnham introduce £100 fixed penalty notices for passengers who play music or podcasts loudly without earphones on trains and other public transport. The suggestion comes as Avanti West Coast is confirmed to be brought back into public ownership, with the change set to take place next year.
Burnett, Night Editor at the Manchester Evening News, argues that while complaints about cancellations, comfort and punctuality are longstanding, a more recent problem makes train travel far more unpleasant: passengers playing music or having phone calls on speaker without earphones.
A proposal for immediate improvement
Speaking after Burnham's speech at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, Burnett said the policy would instantly improve public transport, possibly pay towards maintaining it, and could not be objected to by anyone regardless of political leaning. He suggested teams could go around trains issuing penalties, similar to ticket checks on the Metrolink, which would also save train managers from having to remonstrate with offenders.
Burnett referenced railway byelaws that state 'no person on the railway shall, to the annoyance of any person: (i) sing; or (ii) use any instrument, article or equipment for the production or reproduction of sound'.
International precedent and enforcement
The proposal notes that Singapore already imposes penalties of around £330 for playing music at loud volumes on public transport. Burnett suggested that if people refused to pay or got argumentative, they should be removed at the next station, with police called if necessary.
He added that the policy would likely pay for itself quickly, and that offenders posting videos of themselves being fined online would spread the word that such behaviour was no longer acceptable.
