The common mistake costing UK drivers £130million | Tech News

More than three million drivers have been fined for utilizing bus lanes throughout England’s largest native authorities over the previous three years, in line with new analysis from cinch, the UK’s largest online used car retailer. Freedom of Information (FOI) knowledge obtained from councils reveals that 3,021,688 bus lane Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) have been issued between January 2023 and December 2025, producing £103,811,873 in income.

That’s roughly 2,760 fines every single day, or one bus lane penalty issued each 30 seconds. The analysis analysed knowledge from England’s 38 largest native authorities by population. In 2023, there have been 1,077,635 bus lane fines, in 2024, there have been simply barely more at 1,208,766. In 2025, there have been 735,287 fins however some funds and case outcomes are nonetheless being processed. Manchester topped the desk for many bus lane fines by a ways, issuing practically 230,000 more PCNs than second-placed Bristol.

• 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 sometimes focused on a few primary streets in metropolis centres, with Bridge Street in Manchester standing out as essentially the most prolific.

These 5 roads alone accounted for over 480,000 fines between them. All sit in busy metropolis centres with restricted hours, complicated layouts or bus gates which are simple to overlook should you don’t know the world.

• Bridge Street (towards Salford), Manchester – 157,974 PCNs
• Arundel Gate close to 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

The knowledge additionally highlights that more than 280,000 drivers appealed their bus lane fines between 2023 and 2025 – understanding as roughly one dispute for each 11 fines.

Of these appeals, 31% (or 87,713 penalties) have been upheld after review.

The FOI responses recommend that bus lane enforcement is continuous to broaden throughout many of England’s largest councils.

Across the authorities that equipped knowledge, 127 new enforcement cameras have been put in since 2023, alongside 92 extra bus lanes introduced below digicam enforcement.

This means more roads are actually being actively monitored, rising the probability of drivers being fined for coming into restricted lanes.

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

Many native authorities now depend on automated quantity plate recognition (ANPR) technology, permitting enforcement to operate 24/7 with out the need for site visitors officers on the scene.

Ben Welham, motoring professional at cinch, says: “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.”