Local authorities in England brought in a total of £127.3m in revenue from bus lane fines in 2022/23, according to the AA.
The AA’s analysis of Department for Transport data found that this revenue, after deducting £47.7m of costs, generated a total financial surplus of £79.6m.
Transport for London accrued most of this revenue (£48.5m) followed by Manchester City Council (£4.8m), Bristol City Council (£2.9m), and Essex County Council (£2.5m).
'Bus lanes are a huge money-spinner for many local authorities that enforce them. The cameras that monitor them haul in fines on an industrial scale,' says AA spokesman Luke Bosdet.
'The problem is that, for many sites, the number of drivers caught doesn’t go down. That strongly suggests that signage and road markings often don’t do their job in directing drivers away from bus lanes, which need to be kept clear to maintain the efficiency of public transport.'
