Bus Lane Fines 2026: Edinburgh and Glasgow feature in the 10 cities that fined drivers over £1 million in the first six months of the year

Drivers caught in bus lanes, or illegally going through bus gates, are serious earners for these city councils.

British drivers have been issued more than 1.17 million bus lane and gate Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) during the first half of 2026, generating more than £37.7 million in fines, according to new report.

The new analysis by car insurance expert MoneySuperMarket was based on Freedom of Information (FOI) requests made to councils and transport authorities across England, Scotland and Wales and showed the equivalent of one fine issued roughly every 13 seconds - more than £200,000 collected from motorists per day.

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 more unfamiliar.

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.

And Scotland featured prominently in the report, with two city councils fining drivers over £2.8 million between January and June this year.

They’re included in this - the 10 city and transport authorities who fined drivers most for wrongly using bus lanes and going through bus gates.

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1. Manchester - £2,726,409

Manchester tops the table when it comes to bus lane/gate infringement fines in the first six months of 2026, totalling a huge £2,726,409. | Canva/Getty Images