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The Land Transport Authority announced on September 21 that commuters who play audio at loud volumes on public buses, interchanges or terminals will face fines of up to S$500 starting September 23, with the same penalty applying to those who put their feet on seats, litter, eat or drink onboard. These nuisance behaviours, which the authority said cause annoyance to fellow passengers, are now formal offences under the Bus Services Industry regulations introduced after parliament passed amendments in October 2025. The LTA emphasised that the rules seek to create a safer and more considerate public transport network, extending the framework already used on the Mass Rapid Transit system where similar violations have carried penalties for years.
According to a Channel News Asia report, the regulations follow the introduction of advisory signs across the network from December 2024 that reminded passengers to keep noise levels down and avoid occupying more than one seat. Between December 2024 and May 2025 the number of recorded offences rose fourfold compared with the preceding six months, prompting more than 160 notifications of offence to be issued. The LTA stated that authorised employees from bus operators, including ticket inspectors and interchange staff, may now issue administrative notices for suspected breaches, after which the authority conducts its own investigations.
Bus drivers, referred to locally as captains, will not be authorised to issue fines so they can focus on safe vehicle operation, the Straits Times reported. Drivers can still instruct disruptive passengers to cease the behaviour, request them to alight or, in cases of non-compliance, seek assistance from operations control centres or police. The Ministry of Transport noted in a November 2024 parliamentary reply that public transport operators already collaborate with the Singapore Kindness Movement on campaigns promoting gracious commuting through signage, social media and community engagements.
Senior Minister of State for Transport Murali Pillai told parliament in October 2025 that the government intended to regulate passenger conduct on buses to prevent inconsiderate behaviour, citing examples such as loud music and eating that had previously been handled only through company policies. The new legal framework, which took reference from the Rapid Transit Systems Act, allows penalties to be scaled according to the severity of the disruption and provides for higher fines for repeat offenders. A written reply from Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat in 2024 had already stressed that passengers should not make loud noises on public transport and that persistent offenders could be referred to police.
CNN observed that transit systems across Asia are generally known for cleanliness, order and efficiency, with many cities enforcing bans on eating, drinking and playing music without headphones. In contrast to major hubs such as New York, Singapore’s approach builds on a long-standing emphasis on shared public spaces where every commuter bears responsibility for maintaining a pleasant environment. The LTA’s statement described public transport as a shared space in which everyone must contribute to a gracious commuting experience, a principle reinforced through ongoing public education initiatives detailed in the Ministry of Transport’s records.
