Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to combat anti-social behaviour, particularly the playing of loud music on public transport.

The government is committed to tackling all forms of anti-social behaviour (ASB) on public transport.

The British Transport Police enforce against it on the rail network and the 61016 reporting plays a key role in addressing ASB incidents and providing intelligence to target resources.

In addition, the government is funding five pilot schemes across England which are aimed at tackling ASB through the targeted deployment of Transport Safety Officers. The findings from these pilots will be shared with other local authorities to help them to address ASB on their public transport networks.

The Bus Services Bill aims to provide all local transport authorities with the powers to effectively enforce against ASB on their bus networks and improve safety for passengers. The Bill also seeks to mandate that staff are trained on how to recognise and respond to incidents of ASB on buses.