Bus lanes and bus gates meant councils received up to £3.7m from penalty charge notices (PCNs) in 2022, according to new research by Forbes Advisor.
The financial guidance platform said that on average, councils earned nearly £1m each in fines from bus lanes and gates. Bristol City Council, whose revenue from PCNs was the highest, received more than £3.7m.
The figures come from individual councils in response to an FOI request. Of the councils that responded, the ten with the highest incomes from bus lane or gate fines earned a combined revenue of more than £17m.
PCNs are levied at £70 and reduced to £35 if drivers pay within 14 days.
Kevin Pratt, car insurance spokesperson at Forbes Advisor, said: ‘As the data shows, councils make a great deal of income from bus lane and gate misuse, and are catching many drivers out every year.
‘What surprised us most was that some councils do not keep discrete data on the type of offence that resulted in a PCN being issued in the first place, instead choosing to lump bus lane and gate misuse in with parking fines, yellow box fines, waiting in “no waiting” zones, and other driving offences.
‘This information is important, because it builds a fuller picture of a city’s roads and its drivers, and can impact town planning. At a time when urban planning in general and road use in particular is under close scrutiny, we need to know what factors are being considered when significant decisions are being taken that affect the lives of residents.’
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