Keir Starmer has been urged to fine nuisance public transport users who play music out loud on buses and trains up to £1,000.
Amid growing public anger at what the party dubbed “headphone dodgers”, Sir Ed Davey is pushing for a crack down on the antisocial behaviour.
The Liberal Democrats are seeking a change in the law that would explicitly ban playing music and videos out loud on English public transport.
Those who breach the ban would be hit with £1,000 fines, which the Lib Dems said would once again allow commuters to “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.
And it showed that women are the worst affected, with two thirds of female passengers, compared with less than half of men, saying they would not ask somebody to stop the antisocial practice.
The Lib Dems are seeking to amend the Bus Services Bill currently moving through parliament, alongside a national campaign to shame “headphone dodgers” into stopping the practice.
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.”
Weighing in on the issue, shadow transport secretary Gareth Bacon added: “Everyone deserves to travel in peace. Playing loud music on public transport may seem like a small thing, but it speaks towards a growing tolerance of antisocial behaviour that chips away at public civility.
“We’ve become desensitised to things that should never be normal, and that slow erosion of order matters.
“People in this country simply want to live in a civil society. Common-sense reforms like this are something the Conservative Party can support, but any new byelaws must be backed by stepping up enforcement – something the Liberal Democrats’ plan fails to deliver.”
The Department for Transport was asked for comment.
The government’s Bus Services Bill will give staff on England’s public transport networks mandatory training on responding to antisocial behaviour incidents in a bid to improve women’s safety.
The bill is also handing power over bus services back to local leaders, allowing them to follow Greater Manchester, which brought all local bus services under local control as part of the Bee Network.
It also includes a measure to end the use of new diesel and petrol buses across England from no earlier than 2030.
