Bus passengers face fines of up to S$500 for playing loud audio, putting feet on seats from Sep 23
More serious offences, including causing danger to other commuters or soiling a bus, interchange or terminal, can carry penalties of up to S$5,000.
Public buses queue to enter a bus stop. (File photo: Facebook/Land Transport Authority)
This audio is generated by an AI tool.
SINGAPORE: Bus passengers who play loud audio, put their feet on seats, litter, or eat and drink on public buses can face fines of up to S$500 from Wednesday (Sep 23), when new regulations governing commuter conduct take effect.
More serious offences, such as causing an obstruction or endangering other commuters at bus interchanges and terminals, or soiling any part of a public bus, interchange or terminal, will carry a maximum penalty of S$5,000.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced these on Monday, almost a year after parliament passed legislative amendments allowing commuter conduct on public buses and at bus interchanges to be regulated.
The penalties for buses are aligned with those under existing regulations governing the rail network, LTA said.
WHO CAN TAKE ENFORCEMENT ACTION?
Under the regulations, authorised employees of public bus operators, including ticket inspectors and bus interchange staff, can issue Administrative Notifications of Offences to people suspected of committing an offence.
LTA will subsequently investigate such cases.
Bus captains, however, will not have the same enforcement powers, so that they can focus on their primary responsibility of operating buses safely.
“However, they continue to be empowered by the Conditions of Carriage to advise passengers to stop nuisance or disruptive behaviour,” LTA said.
Bus captains can require passengers who do not comply to alight. If a passenger refuses to cooperate, they can seek assistance from the bus operations control centre or, in egregious cases, the police.
“Public transport is a shared space, and every commuter has a part to play in ensuring a gracious and pleasant commuting environment,” LTA said on Monday.
“Notwithstanding these new regulations, LTA and the public bus operators will continue to exercise discretion and fairness in managing inconsiderate commuters, especially for cases involving commuters with physical or mental health conditions.”
LTA announced in March last year that it would step up enforcement against nuisance and disruptive behaviour on Singapore's public transport.
This followed the introduction of new signage from December 2024 encouraging commuters to be more considerate, including by keeping noise levels down, occupying only one seat and refraining from sitting on the floor.
Signs reminding commuters to keep noise levels down were also introduced on buses.
When the Transport Sector (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill was debated and passed in October 2025, the government said it intended to align the regulatory framework against inconsiderate behaviour across buses and trains.
It cited littering, eating and drinking, and causing a nuisance or annoyance by playing loud music or videos on mobile phones as examples of conduct that would be regulated.
