It seems to be getting increasingly difficult to navigate the number of carriageway rules, terminology and signage.

Traffic levels have increased and local authorities are squeezed of funds, and environmental concerns mean encouraging more people to ditch the car and walk or use public transport.

Driving in a ‘bus lane’ is an easy mistake to make, with traffic covering on road signage, or driving in an unfamiliar town, or the terminology changed to labels such as ‘Bus Gate’.

A new report by the RAC has found increasing numbers of motorists fined for driving in bus lanes.

All aboard

More than one in three (36%) of UK motorists have admitted in a nationwide survey that they have accidentally driven into a bus lane—only to be hit with a fine.

According to the RAC survey, two in five licence holders who have mistakenly entered a bus lane said they were caught on camera and later received a penalty notice in the post.

More than half (56%) of those who have driven into a bus lane enforced at specific hours blamed poor or unclear signage for their mistake.

Only 4% of the 1,763 UK motorists surveyed confessed to deliberately driving in a bus lane.

Day passes

The RAC, which commissioned the poll, argues that most drivers enter bus lanes in error and has urged councils to issue warning letters instead of fines for first-time offenders.

RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “We have always maintained that the majority of drivers don’t deliberately set out to drive in bus lanes, so it’s good to see this research confirming that.

“Our suspicions around the visibility and clarity of bus lane signage have also been borne out, with drivers expressing considerable concerns about signs often being hard to spot and difficult to understand.”

Williams added that drivers deserve leniency given the sheer volume of information they must process while navigating busy roads, especially in urban areas where bus lanes are more prevalent.

“There is so much else to take in, from vehicles and other road users to traffic lights and warning signs,” he explained. “For these reasons, we continue to call on councils to write to drivers who stray into bus lanes the first time, rather than simply issuing them with fines.”

While deliberate misuse of bus lanes should be penalised, the RAC believes that many drivers are being caught out due to inadequate signage rather than intentional wrongdoing.

The Cost

The financial impact of bus lane fines is significant.

An AA analysis of Department for Transport (DfT) data revealed that English local authorities collected a staggering £127.3 million in revenue from bus lane fines during the 2022/23 financial year alone.

After deducting £47.7 million in enforcement costs, councils still netted a surplus of £79.6 million.

It reinforces concerns that bus lanes are becoming a significant revenue source rather than solely a deterrent for misuse.

Motorists caught using a bus lane on a Transport for London (TfL) road will receive a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) of £160, which is reduced to £80 if paid promptly.

The back seat

The latest statistics show that thousands of drivers are penalised yearly for straying into bus lanes.

In London alone, TfL issued over 250,000 bus lane fines in 2023, generating millions in revenue. Across England, more than 1.2 million motorists were fined for bus lane infringements last year, illustrating the scale of the issue.

Considering these figures, motoring groups continue to push for fairer enforcement, arguing that clearer signage and first-time warnings would prevent accidental breaches rather than simply punish drivers.