'Headphone dodgers' Can a ban on playing music out loud on public transport work?

A campaign by Transport for London (TfL) to target people playing music or videos out loud on public transport is launching this week, with posters targeting "headphone dodgers" appearing on the Elizabeth line and other services from the autumn. TfL bylaws already ban passengers from singing or playing music out loud anywhere on the network unless they have a licence such as the ones granted to approved buskers.

- Rachel Obordo

A campaign by Transport for London (TfL) to target people playing music or videos out loud on public transport is launching this week, with posters targeting "headphone dodgers" appearing on the Elizabeth line and other services from the autumn.

TfL bylaws already ban passengers from singing or playing music out loud anywhere on the network unless they have a licence such as the ones granted to approved buskers.

'Since the pandemic, people have forgotten common courtesy'

I think this is long overdue. Particularly since the pandemic, lots of people seem to have forgotten how to behave with common courtesy in public.

I've started pulling people up on this kind of behaviour and it's really satisfying, to be honest. However, I think the other issue is a structural one: our public services, particularly transport (outside of London, anyway) are massively degraded.

Asking people to respect public spaces, if it's going to work, needs to be a two-way street: you show everyone around you respect by keeping your devices quiet, but we (the state) show you, the public, respect in return, by investing in public transport that people feel comfortable on and proud of as a national asset. That's the only way to solve this problem permanently.

Tom, 33 Lecturer, Leeds

'I'm autistic. Even noise-cancelling headphones are not perfect'

It absolutely needs to happen.