Drivers have been hit with £130m in bus lane fines in just three years with more than three million penalties issued by the country’s largest councils. The fines mean a cash bonanza for local authorities of £103m, often paid by motorists who have been left confused by complicated signage whilst navigating unfamiliar routes.

Freedom of Information (FOI) data obtained 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. That’s roughly 2,760 fines every day, or one bus lane penalty issued every 30 seconds. The research, complied by online car retailer cinch, analysed data from England’s 38 largest local authorities by population and showed that in 2023 1,077,635 bus lane fines were issued, whilst that number rose to 1,208,766 in 2024 and currently stands at 735,287 for 2025 with some payments and case outcomes still being processed.

Manchester topped the table for most bus lane fines by some distance, 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 fines are often concentrated on a few main streets in city centres, with Bridge Street in Manchester standing out as the most prolific.

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

Bridge Street (toward Salford), Manchester – 157,974 PCNs

Arundel Gate near St Paul’s Place Service Road, Sheffield – 116,264 PCNs

Cumberland Road bus gate, Bristol – 81,115 PCNs

Ranelagh Street bus gate, Liverpool – 71,012 PCNs

York Place, Brighton – 54,931 PCNs

These five roads alone accounted for over 480,000 fines between them. All sit in busy city centres with restricted hours, complex layouts or bus gates that are easy to miss if you don’t know the area.

The data also highlights that more than 280,000 drivers appealed their bus lane fines between 2023 and 2025 – working out as roughly one dispute for every 11 fines.

Of those appeals, 31% (or 87,713 penalties) were upheld after review.

The FOI responses suggest that bus lane enforcement is continuing to expand across many of England’s largest councils.

Across the authorities that supplied data, 127 new enforcement cameras have been installed since 2023, alongside 92 additional bus lanes brought under camera enforcement.

This means more roads are now being actively monitored, increasing the likelihood of drivers being fined for entering restricted lanes.

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

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

Ben Welham, motoring expert at cinch, said: “Bus lanes can be a bit of a minefield, especially if you’re driving in a new city or relying on a sat nav that’s not up to date.

“Keep an eye on the blue signs that show where bus lanes start – and their operating times – and the thick white lines that separate the bus lane from normal traffic.

“Drivers can be caught out by steering into a bus lane a few feet before it reverts to a normal road, particularly if they’re needing to make a left turn soon after the end of the bus lane.

“Slow down as the bus lane ends and only turn in once the arrow on the road indicates you can do so.

“If you think you’ve been caught unfairly by a camera, it might be worth appealing – especially if the signage was blocked or the road markings faded.”