London drivers were issued nearly 250,000 bus lane and gate Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) between January and June 2026, generating nearly £10 million in fines, according to new analysis by MoneySuperMarket.
Though most drivers will be aware of bus lanes, the road lanes reserved for buses, and often taxis, cyclists and motorbikes, bus gates may be less familiar. These ‘gates’ block a short stretch of road to all traffic except buses, rather than restricting one lane. Both bus lanes and gates are enforced by CCTV or automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras and can result in PCN fines being issued for rule breaches.
The analysis, based on Freedom of Information requests to 23 councils and transport authorities across London, reveals the scale and cost of bus lane enforcement in the nation’s capital, with the equivalent of one fine issued roughly every minute and more than £53,000 collected from motorists per day.
TfL, which enforces bus lanes on the capital’s main ‘red routes’, issued 90,511 fines over the six-month period, generating £2.4 million in revenue, making it the biggest enforcement body in the city. This is the equivalent to 500 fines issued per day for bus lane and bus gate infringements in the capital.
However, looking specifically at which boroughs issued the most PCNs across the first six months of the year, Southwark takes the top spot with 26,242 fines issued, while Lambeth follows in second place (17,975 PCNs issued), and Enfield places third, with 15,922 PCNs issued.
Number of PCNs Issued for Bus Lane and Gate Infringements, By Borough
Rank
Borough
Total PCNs issued for bus lane/gate infringement
(Jan – June 2026)
1
Southwark
26,242
2
Lambeth
17,975
3
Enfield
15,922
4
Ealing
13,202
5
Greenwich
11,414
6
Merton
8,395
7
Croydon
7,692
8
Waltham Forest
6,955
9
Tower Hamlets
6,506
10
Haringey
6,471
Southwark is also revealed as the location earning the most revenue from fines for bus lane and gate infringements, with the council receiving over £1.4 million in revenue in the first six months of 2026. Croydon places second (£909,680), with Lambeth in third (£676,790).
Total Revenue from Bus Lane and Gate PCN Fines, By Borough
Rank
Borough
Total revenue from bus lane/gate infringement fines
(Jan – June 2026)
1
Southwark
£1,409,105
2
Croydon
£909,680
3
Lambeth
£676,790
4
Greenwich
£565,598
5
Ealing
£547,460
6
Enfield
£497,150
7
Merton
£472,035
8
Havering
£320,068
9
Haringey
£309,609
10
Waltham Forest
£302,900
Alicia Hempsted, Car Insurance Expert at MoneySuperMarket, says: “Bus lanes and gates are an important part of our road infrastructure, so it’s important to keep them clear of cars and allow traffic to flow freely, particularly during busy periods. However, many drivers will have accidentally entered a bus lane or bus gate when driving somewhere unfamiliar, only to discover a penalty notice arriving days later.
“PCNs are civil penalties rather than criminal notices such as speeding or drink driving, so they won’t have any impact on your car insurance. If you do receive a PCN for a bus lane or gate infringement, you should try to address it as soon as possible, as fines are often reduced by 50% if they’re settled within 14 to 21 days, though this does vary between locations.
“You should always review the details of the PCN carefully before paying to confirm the details are correct. You can dispute a PCN by contacting TfL or the issuing council, which you should do as soon as possible if you feel the notice is incorrect.
“However, if you fail to pay a PCN within the given time period, the matter can escalate to a County Court judgment or bailiff action, which could show up on credit checks in the future.”