Law against nuisance and disruptive behaviour on buses, trains to take effect from Sept 23

Commuters who cause a nuisance or behave disruptively on public buses and at bus interchanges, terminals will be committing an offence from Wednesday (Sept 23).

The Transport Sector (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act, passed by Parliament in October 2025, will come into effect on Wednesday, said the Land Transport Authority in a news release on Monday.

It aligns the regulatory framework against nuisance and disruptive behaviour across buses and trains, with the regulations completing the existing Conditions of Carriage introduced for public bus operators.

Under the new Bus Services Industry (Control of Conduct and Activities – Public Bus) Regulations 2026 and Bus Services Industry (Control of Conduct and Activities – Bus Interchange) Regulations 2026, such actions now become offences.

Putting feet on seats, playing music loudly

Examples of nuisance and disruptive behaviour include placing one's feet on seats, playing audio at loud volume, littering, eating or drinking onboard buses.

Those found doing so could face fines of up to $500, while more serious offences such as causing obstruction or danger to fellow commuters within bus interchanges/terminals, or the soiling of any part of a public bus, bus interchange, or terminal, carry a maximum penalty of $5,000.

These penalties are aligned with those under the existing Rapid Transit Systems Regulations, LTA said.

The authority added that its priority, while handling any disruptive behaviour on buses, is to minimise inconvenience to other commuters and ensure that the bus service is not disrupted.

Discretion, fairness to be exercised: LTA

Empowered staff from public bus operators such as ticket inspectors and bus interchange staff may issue administrative notification of offences to persons who are alleged of committing an offence.

This will be followed by LTA's investigations.

However, discretion and fairness will be exercised in managing inconsiderate commuters, especially for cases involving commuters with physical or mental health conditions, the agency said.

And while bus captains are not empowered to issue administrative notification of offences, they continue to be be empowered by the Conditions of Carriage to advise passengers to stop nuisance or disruptive behaviour, LTA highlighted.

"Bus captains may require passengers who fail to comply to alight, and where a passenger refuses to cooperate, bus captains can request help from the bus operations control centre, or from the police in egregious cases," the authority added.

It also reminded commuters that public transport is a shared space and that every commuter has a part to play in ensuring a gracious and pleasant commuting environment.

从周三（9 月 23 日）起，在公共汽车、公交枢纽站或车站造成滋扰或行为不检的通勤者将被视为违法行为。

陆路交通管理局周一发布新闻稿称，议会于 2025 年 10 月通过的《交通运输部门（杂项修正）法案》将于周三生效。

它统一了针对公共汽车和火车上的滋扰和扰乱行为的监管框架，这些法规完善了现有的公共汽车运营商运输条件。

根据 2026 年新的《公共汽车服务行业（行为和活动控制）条例》和 2026 年《公共汽车服务行业（行为和活动控制 - 公交枢纽）条例》，此类行为现在构成违法行为。

把脚放在座位上，大声播放音乐

扰乱公共秩序和妨碍公共秩序的行为包括：将脚放在座位上、大声播放音频、乱扔垃圾、在公交车上吃东西或喝饮料。

被发现这样做的人可能会面临最高 500 美元的罚款，而更严重的违法行为，例如在公交枢纽/车站内造成阻碍或危及其他通勤者，或弄脏公共汽车、公交枢纽或车站的任何部分，最高罚款可达 5000 美元。

陆路交通管理局表示，这些处罚与现行的快速交通系统条例中的处罚一致。

该部门补充说，在处理公交车上的任何扰乱行为时，其首要任务是尽量减少对其他通勤者的不便，并确保公交服务不中断。

酌情权和公平原则应予行使：LTA

公共汽车运营商的授权工作人员，如检票员和公交枢纽工作人员，可以向被指控犯有违法行为的人发出行政处罚通知。

接下来将由陆路交通管理局展开调查。

该机构表示，对于不顾他人感受的通勤者，特别是患有身体或精神健康状况的通勤者，将会酌情处理，并秉持公平原则。

陆路交通管理局强调，虽然巴士司机没有权力发出违规行为的行政通知，但根据运输条款，他们仍然有权建议乘客停止滋扰或扰乱秩序的行为。

该机构补充说：“公交车司机可以要求不遵守规定的乘客下车；如果乘客拒绝配合，公交车司机可以向公交运营控制中心请求帮助，在情节严重的情况下，还可以向警方寻求帮助。”

它还提醒通勤者，公共交通是一个共享空间，每个通勤者都应该为营造优雅愉快的通勤环境尽一份力。