A new campaign aimed at selfish passengers who play loud music on their phones has been launched by Transport for London today.

TfL posters urging people to wear headphones are starting to appear on the Elizabeth Line, and will be displayed on other routes soon.

Most passengers consider that people who effectively broadcast their personal entertainment the length of an Underground car are a ‘nuisance’, TfL said, and in some cases it can be stressful for others as well.

TfL is reinforcing its campaign with posts on Instagram, although it has stopped using social media for service information in emergencies because information about delays and cancellations remains visible indefinitely and can be misleading.

Passengers will also be asked to look upwards from their phones now and then to see if someone less able to stand needs their seat.

Playing loud music on public transport has been against the byelaws for many years, particularly since transistor radios became common more than 60 years ago, but the problem has become more acute in the age of almost universal mobile phones.

TfL's customer director Emma Strain said: ‘Most people use headphones, but even just a small number of people not doing so can create an unpleasant or even stressful environment for others, with the majority of customers we asked agreeing that this is disruptive behaviour.

‘That's why we're reminding people to put their headphones on if they don't already, to give others the stress-free journey they'd expect for themselves.’

Ironically, the problem of intrusive music may have been worsened by TfL itself, because many parts of the Underground network now have 4G or 5G coverage.

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