Why phones on loudspeaker may become just another noise

Transport for London (TfL), which operates the capital’s trains and buses, last year launched a public awareness campaign calling for passengers to be considerate after the results of a survey of 1,000 people said 70% of respondents found loud music and phone calls without headphones a nuisance.

The Liberal Democrats say such behaviour should be punishable with fines of up to £1,000.

The party’s transport spokesman Olly Glover puts the trend down to a growing lack of social awareness. “Since the pandemic a lot of people live in their own head more than ever before,” he says, adding, “they don’t necessarily think about their impact on other people”.

Glover says technology companies should bear some responsibility, suggesting they should provide headphones at railway stations or return to automatically selling them with phones.

The BBC contacted tech companies including Apple, Samsung, Meta, and TikTok about their awareness of loudcasting and whether they were responding to it in any way. None of the companies commented.

The Lib Dems’ push has also garnered some Tory support. Rebecca Smith, Conservative MP for South West Devon, says “things have moved on a bit since a few people carried around a Discman”, adding it wouldn’t hurt to have the rules “beefed up” to allow passengers to tell others what they’re doing is against the law.

Smith says she doesn’t notice it in her Devon community, but it’s something she’s observed on the commute between Plymouth and London.

The government has previously said that under existing railway by-laws, disruptive passengers are already liable for £1,000 fines.

TfL says when its officers encounter someone playing their device out loud, they will typically ask them to stop, with most people complying. If they don’t stop, then further enforcement action can be taken, such as referring them for prosecution.