Council PCN
Bus lane fine: how a camera PCN works
Independent site, not a council, operator or appeals service. You pay or appeal only through the channel printed on your notice.
Enter when the camera started and the day you drove in the lane: the tool says whether the guidance expects a warning notice instead of a penalty.
Warning notice for a first camera offence?
Warning instead of a PCN?
Expected, under the guidance
| Warning period ends | 1 March 2027 |
| Penalty otherwise | £70 outside London, £160 in London |
DfT statutory guidance for councils outside London: a warning notice for a first contravention at each new camera site in its first six months.
A bus lane fine is a Penalty Charge Notice issued by a council, or by Transport for London, after a camera records a vehicle driving in a bus lane during its hours of operation. It is a civil penalty, not a criminal offence, and it arrives by post to the registered keeper. Outside London it is charged at the higher level of the council's band, up to £70; in London bus lane and moving traffic penalties are £160. Because the notice comes by post after a camera recording, the reduced rate of half the penalty lasts 21 days from service rather than 14, and the notice acts as the Notice to Owner, so you make representations straight to the council within 28 days. Statutory guidance from the Department for Transport tells councils outside London to send a warning notice instead of a penalty for a first contravention at each new camera site during its first 6 months. Northern Ireland has its own bus lane penalties, at the same level as its parking penalties.
How much is my council PCN now?
You pay
£35
| Penalty on the notice | £70 |
| Reduced rate (50% off) | £35 |
| After a charge certificate (+50%) | £105 |
Band and rate are printed on the notice with the contravention code. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have no bands.
Rules, amounts and dates read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
How much a bus lane PCN costs
| Area | PCN | Reduced | Certificate |
|---|---|---|---|
| England, band 2 | £70 | £35 | £105 |
| England, band 1 | £60 | £30 | £90 |
| London | £160 | £80 | £240 |
| Northern Ireland | £90 | £45 | £135 |
The dates of a bus lane PCN in England
Suppose the camera records the car on 9 November 2026 and the council posts the notice on 16 November 2026. Service is presumed on 18 November 2026, the second working day after posting. The reduced rate is open for 21 days beginning with that day, until 8 December 2026. Representations must reach the council within 28 days of service, by 15 December 2026. The countdown below applies this to any date.
Next: Notice served
28 October 2026
2 days left
| Notice servedSecond working day after posting, unless you can show it arrived later. | 28 October 2026 |
| Last day for the reduced rate21 days beginning with the day the notice was served. Pay £35 instead of £70. | 17 November 2026£35 |
| Representations against the postal noticeA notice sent by post after a camera recording works as the Notice to Owner: representations go straight to the council within 28 days of service. | 24 November 2026 |
| Charge certificate (earliest)If nothing is paid or challenged, the charge rises to £105. | 25 November 2026£105 |
| Order for recovery (earliest)Registration at the county court, then 21 days for a witness statement. | 9 December 2026£105 |
The warning notice at new cameras
The Department for Transport statutory guidance for councils outside London asks them to issue a warning notice, not a penalty, for a vehicle's first contravention at each new camera site during the first 6 months of enforcement there. The idea is that drivers learn where the cameras are before paying. The tool at the top of the page checks whether your date falls in that window. If it does, and you had no earlier warning at that site, ask the council in your representations why a penalty was sent; the guidance is statutory, which means councils must have regard to it.
Grounds that often come up
- Signs and markings. Bus lane times must be shown on signs; road markings must be visible. If the camera images show worn paint or a hidden sign, say so.
- Entering to avoid an obstruction or to let an emergency vehicle pass. Explain what the images do not show and give any evidence you have.
- Late service. More than 28 days between the contravention and service, without a DVLA delay, is a procedural impropriety.
- Not the owner, vehicle taken without consent, hire vehicle. These are grounds listed in the appeal regulations.
Ask the council to let you see the full video or the sequence of images: they are evidence you are entitled to rely on. Our representations page builds the letter.
Before you pay or challenge
Three checks take a few minutes. First, the date of service: if the notice took more than 28 days to reach you, note the postmark. Second, the images: the vehicle, the registration and the lane markings should all be clear. Third, the amount: a band 2 council cannot ask more than £70, a band 1 council more than £60. If all three are in order and the lane was clearly signed, paying within the reduced-rate period is usually the cheapest outcome. If one of them fails, representations cost nothing and keep the case open, although the reduced rate may be lost if they are rejected.
Moving traffic offences use the same route
Since 31 May 2022, councils in England outside London can also enforce moving traffic contraventions by camera, such as yellow box junctions and banned turns. The amounts, dates and guidance are the same as for bus lanes; our moving traffic page covers what is specific to them.