What happens if you drive down a bus lane

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Hide this message. A full list of services can be found on our A—Z listings page. In this section Bus lanes and bus only streets Where are our bus lanes? Who can use a bus lane? But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Necessary Necessary. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".

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This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information. Non-necessary Non-necessary. Not all local councils have these enforcement powers. In some areas, the police will issue a fixed penalty notice for this driving offence.

If you've used a bus lane illegally, your local council can give you a charge notice. In most cases, the council must send you the notice within 28 days of you driving in the bus lane.

The charge notice will say that you have 28 days to pay the charge. The local council might offer to reduce the charge if you pay within 14 days. You'll find more details about charge notices on your local council's website. Find your local council on mygov. If you accept you committed the offence, you can pay the amount the council asks for.

The charge notice will tell you how and when to pay. The charge notice will be sent to the owner of the vehicle. In law, they're the person responsible for paying the charge, even if someone else was driving.

If you've received a charge notice but someone else was driving your car with your permission, it's a good idea to talk to them about it - they might be happy to pay. If you don't appeal against the charge notice and you don't pay it, the local council will send you a 'notice to owner', reminding you to pay. If you still don't pay, the local council can register the debt with the court without a court hearing. The council can then collect the charge using sheriff officers.