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For some people, the worst part of taking the bus is not waiting at the stop or sitting in traffic. It is the passenger who treats the entire bus like their private living room.
There is the loud speakerphone conversation nobody asked to hear. The endless TikTok videos playing without headphones. The shoes planted on the seat where someone else is supposed to sit. And, occasionally, the snack that leaves crumbs and rubbish behind.
In Singapore, passengers may no longer get away with it.
The city-state is introducing fines for behavior that causes annoyance or discomfort to others on public buses. Playing loud music or videos, placing feet on seats, eating, drinking, or littering could result in a fine of up to 500 Singapore dollars, or about $390.
More serious offenses, including behavior that puts other passengers in danger or badly soils a bus or other public transport facility, could carry penalties of up to 5,000 Singapore dollars, nearly $3,900.
Singapore’s Land Transport Authority says public transport is a shared space and every passenger has a responsibility to keep the journey pleasant and respectful. The new bus penalties bring the rules into line with those already operating on the country’s subway system.
It may sound strict, particularly to Cypriots accustomed to a more relaxed approach to rules. But anyone who has endured an entire bus journey beside a stranger shouting into a phone may understand the appeal.
If Cyprus wants more people to leave their cars at home and use public transport, the experience on board matters. A bus can arrive on time and have comfortable seats, but the journey quickly becomes miserable when one inconsiderate passenger takes over the entire space.
Singapore is not alone in trying to restore a little peace to public transport.
London launched a campaign asking passengers to use headphones after about 70% of those surveyed said they were disturbed by people playing loud audio or speaking loudly on their phones. Beijing, Kraków and Toronto have also introduced restrictions on playing music or videos without headphones.
Some countries rely on polite reminders and warnings. Others are reaching for the fine book.
In France, one man received a $200 fine in 2025 after refusing to turn off the speaker during a loud phone call at a train station.
That raises an interesting question for Cyprus and other countries: Are signs asking passengers to behave respectfully enough, or do the worst offenders need a financial reason to remember their manners?
*With information from CNN
