‘Bare beaters’ face £295 fine for blasting loud music on major city’s buses

It’s the ultimate commuter faux pas (Picture: Shutterstock / DGLimages) You’ve finally bagged a seat on your morning commute, settled in with a podcast, and braced yourself for the journey ahead. But within seconds, the peace is shattered when your fellow passenger blasts music from their phone. ‘Bare beating,’ a term coined by Metro, refers to letting your music or phone conversation blast throughout public transport, as opposed to using headphones. It’s easily one of the most despised habits on public transit, leaving co-passengers desperately wishing for a bit of basic commuter courtesy. And now, one major city is officially putting its foot down, slapping serial bare beaters with hefty fines to finally restore some quiet to the commute. Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) introduced new regulations yesterday, Wednesday, September 23, targeting disruptive behaviour on its public bus network. Passengers caught playing music, videos, or phone calls out loud without headphones now face fines of up to S$500 (£295.44), in line with rules already active across Singapore’s train system. Singapore already enforces rules on the train system (Picture: TkKurikawa/ Getty Images) ‘Public transport is a shared space, and every commuter has a part to play in ensuring a gracious and pleasant commuting environment,’ the LTA said in its announcement. The LTA said the new rule will allow for focus on ‘their primary responsibility of operating buses safely,’ but reassured that there would be ‘discretion and fairness’ for passengers with physical or mental health conditions. What other travel rules has Singapore enforced? Ask Metro Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about – powered by Metro and trusted publications. The rules don’t stop at loud audio. Under the same S$500 penalty threshold, passengers can also be ticketed for putting their feet on seats, drinking or eating on board, and littering in carriages or at stops. For more severe offences, such as soiling transport facilities, causing a public hazard, or obstructing vehicle operations, fines can skyrocket up to S$5,000 (£2,954.58). To keep journeys running smoothly, bus drivers, or as they’re referred to in Singapore, ‘bus captains’, won’t be tasked with issuing fines while driving. Instead, enforcement will be handled by authorised ticket inspectors and interchange staff. They will then log and report infractions for official investigation by the LTA. Other offences could result in fines at almost £3k (Picture: Roslan RAHMAN / AFP via Getty Images) The crackdown follows parliamentary amendments passed in October 2025, granting authorities stronger powers to tackle nuisance passengers and disruptive bus behaviour. Additionally, in December 2024, Singapore introduced signs on their buses encouraging users to keep noise levels down, occupy only one seat and refrain from sitting on the floor. What other cities ban bare beating? Singapore’s new rule follows the steps of Kraków in Poland, which, in January this year, introduced rules banning passengers from using phones or other devices on speakerphone on buses and trams, with a 200-zloty (£39.18) fine if broken. Additionally, the Indian city of Chennai introduced a rule this July, which could see passengers fined up to Rs 2,500 (£19.68) for playing music or videos without earphones. Over 3.5 million trips are made on public buses across Singapore on more than 350 bus services daily (Picture: Vera Tikhonova/ Getty Images) Transport for London (TfL) launched a campaign in August 2025 with posters encouraging people to use headphones, revealing that 70% of 1,000 customers surveyed find loud music and phone conversations without headphones disruptive. However, London is yet to pass an official ruling against not using headphones (though TfL can technically fine you up to £1,000 for playing music under its bylaws). But enforcement through formal fines or court action is rare. TfL treats enforcement as a ‘last resort’, relying instead on staff asking passengers to turn off their devices, denying travel, or removing offenders from the network. A Freedom of Information (FOI) request revealed that no one was fined for playing music out loud in 2024, and only one warning was issued. 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Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@metro.co.uk Arrow MORE: Major UK train station to close for 5 days in December — including Christmas Eve Arrow MORE: All the European airport strikes happening right now, from Portugal to Italy Arrow MORE: The 4 best hotels in the UK revealed — with spas, Michelin food and a martini trolley The Getaway Expert Your exclusive seven-day guide to travelling with confidence from Metro's resident travel expert, Alice Murphy.