Have you ever been sitting on a train or a bus, and despite having headphones in, your own entertainment is overwhelmed by someone playing a video out loud?
It has become such a problem in London that the mayor, Sadiq Khan, is launching a campaign to encourage public transport users to wear headphones, aiming to prevent disruption.
Posters will begin appearing on the Elizabeth line from Tuesday (26 August), reminding travellers of the new etiquette as part of Transport for London’s (TfL) wider ‘Travel Kind’ campaign.
Throughout the autumn, the campaign will be rolled out across buses and other TfL services.
Seb Dance, deputy mayor of London for transport, said: “The vast majority of Londoners use headphones when travelling on public transport in the capital, but the small majority who play music or videos out loud can be a real nuisance to other passengers and directly disturb their journeys.
“TfL’s new campaign will remind and encourage Londoners to always be considerate of other passengers.”
This practice has now got a new name: “bare beating”, which means the act of letting any noise from your phone reverberate around the carriage, rather than using headphones.
Commuters have long complained about these noisy culprits who blast music, videos or phone conversations for the rest of the passengers to hear.
One TikTok user stated: “When did it become socially acceptable to play music out loud, talk on speakerphone and vape on trains?”
Other people have questioned why people do not buy headphones to listen to music in public.
“[I don’t know] who started this trend of playing YouTube, TikToks, reels, etc on public transport, but it needs to stop. You can get earphones on Amazon for less than £20, please,” an X user said.
Another person also highlighted the use of Bluetooth speakers on trains. “It’ll never cease to amaze me that people think it’s acceptable to get on a public train, pull out a literal speaker, and start blasting music,” they said.
Conversations surrounding blasting music out loud in public came to the forefront earlier this year when the Liberal Democrats declared they are seeking to change the law to explicitly ban this type of behaviour on English public transport.
The party dubbed them “headphone dodgers” and wants to see those who breach the ban be hit with £1,000 fines, so other commuters can “enjoy a moment of peace.”
A poll commissioned by the party found that more than half of Brits said they would not feel empowered to ask somebody to turn down their music on public transport.
More than a third said they have experienced people playing loud noises “often” or “sometimes”, the Savanta poll found.
The Lib Dems are seeking to amend the Bus Services Bill that is currently on its way through parliament, meanwhile creating a national campaign to shame “headphone dodgers” on public transport.
The party’s home affairs spokesman, Lisa Smart, said: “Far too many people dread their daily commute because of the blight of antisocial behaviour — and headphone dodgers playing loud music on buses and trains are some of the worst offenders.
“Whether you’re heading to work, taking your kids to school, or simply trying to enjoy a moment of peace, everyone deserves to feel safe and respected on public transport. Time and time again, I hear from people who say they feel too intimidated to speak up when someone is blasting music or other content from a phone or speaker.
“It’s time to take a stand for the quiet majority who just want to get from A to B in peace.”
A Department for Transport spokesperson previously said: “There are already strict rules in place to prevent anti-social behaviour on public transport, including possible fines of up to £1,000.”
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