Drivers hit with £130m in bus lane fines giving councils a cash bonanz | UK | News

Drivers have been fined £130 million of bus lanes in just three years, and more than three million fines have been issued by the country’s largest councils. The fines amount to a £103 million cash bonanza for local authorities, paid by drivers often confused by complex signs when traveling on unfamiliar routes.

Freedom of Information (FOI) data from councils shows that 3,021,688 bus lane Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) were issued between January 2023 and December 2025, generating £103,811,873 in revenue. This works out to roughly 2,760 fines each day, or one bus lane penalty issued every 30 seconds. Research conducted by online auto retailer child’s playIt analyzed data from England’s 38 largest local authorities by population and showed 1,077,635 bus lane fines were issued in 2023, rising to 1,208,766 in 2024 and now 735,287 for 2025, with some payments and case outcomes still being processed.

Manchester came in first place by a wide margin for most bus lane penalties, issuing nearly 230,000 more PCNs than second-placed Bristol.

Highest number of bus lane PCNs (2023-2025):

Manchester City Council – 573,822

Bristol City Council – 344,366

Sheffield City Council – 275,360

Brighton and Hove City Council – 253,503

Birmingham City Council – 218,906

Bus lane penalties are generally concentrated on a few main streets in city centres; Bridge Street in Manchester stands out as the most efficient street.

Streets with the most bus lane penalties (2023-2025):

Bridge Street (towards Salford), Manchester – 157,974 PCN

Arundel Gate near St Paul’s Place Service Road, Sheffield – 116.264 PCN

Cumberland Road bus gate, Bristol – 81,115 PCN

Ranelagh Street bus gate, Liverpool – 71,012 PCN

York Place, Brighton – 54,931 PCN

These five routes alone resulted in more than 480,000 fines between them. They all sit in busy city centers with limited hours, complex layouts or easy-to-miss bus gates if you don’t know the area.

The data also reveals that between 2023 and 2025, more than 280,000 drivers disputed bus lane penalties, which translates to roughly one dispute for every 11 penalties.

31% of these appeals (or 87,713 penalties) were upheld after review.

FOI responses show bus lane enforcement continues to expand across many of England’s largest councils.

Authorities providing data have had 127 new inspection cameras installed since 2023, and 92 additional bus lanes have also been put under camera control.

This means more roads are now actively monitored and drivers are more likely to receive fines for entering restricted lanes.

Some councils have expanded their networks more than others. During this period, Birmingham added 20 new cameras, followed by Southwark with 18 cameras, Wolverhampton with 12 cameras and Leicester with 11 cameras.

Many local authorities now rely on automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology, which allows enforcement to operate 24/7 without the need for traffic officers on the scene.

Cinch’s motoring expert Ben Welham said: “Bus lanes can be a bit of a minefield, especially if you’re driving in a new city or relying on an outdated sat nav.

“Pay attention to the blue signs indicating where the bus lanes begin and their operating hours, and the thick white lines separating the bus lane from normal traffic.

“Motorists can be caught swerving a few feet into the bus lane before returning to the normal road, especially if they need to turn left shortly after the end of the bus lane.

“When the bus lane ends, slow down and only turn back when the arrow on the road indicates you can do so.

“If you feel you have been unfairly caught on camera, it may be worth appealing, especially if signage is obstructed or road markings are faded.”