I am prepared to believe Britain can defeat the man playing videos aloud on the bus. He has one phone. The state has a prime minister.

Andy Burnham's campaign encourages headphone use and offers guidance for bus fines of up to £100. Train operators already have powers to fine antisocial behaviour up to £1,000. The policy has clearly identified the volume knob on the punishment.

Now for the person who turns it. The Guardian reports that bus drivers won't be expected to police passengers. Sensible: steering a bus is quite a demanding contribution to public transport. Enforcement falls to safety officers or police, while British Transport Police numbers have dropped by more than 10% in two years. Noise fines on trains are already vanishingly rare; an offender can stop or leave before enforcement arrives.

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So the louder governmental response may still reach the carriage after the video has finished. The passenger with the speaker has demonstrated a troubling advantage in response time.

A courtesy campaign might help. I would happily accept a quieter journey produced by an announcement. It is just difficult to square the grand promise of enforcement with the continuing absence of the person who would enforce it.

For now, the state can offer a maximum fine. The person beside you can offer the next video. Only one of these is guaranteed to arrive automatically.