55,000 motorists caught in Portsmouth bus lanes earning council £1.7m - authority says it has reduced fines
Over 55,000 motorists were caught in city bus lanes over the past three years, generating more than £1.7m in revenue for Portsmouth City Council - with the authority now saying it has reduced the number of fines handed out.
The figures, obtained through a Freedom of Information request by used car dealer cinch, show the authority issued 55,203 bus lane Penalty Charge Notices (PCN) between Jan 2023 and Dec 2025, as reported. The enforcement generated £1,772,098 in revenue over the same period.
In 2023 there were 19,394 PCNs issued that generated: £637,767 in revenue. In 2024 there were 24,468 PCNs issued which generated £801,128 in revenue. And in 2025 there were 11,341 PCNs resulting in £333,203 for the council.
The data also highlighted the biggest enforcement hotspot in the city - with Lake Road recording the highest number of penalties in the period with 23,764 issued.
The data shows the number of people that paid their fine early each year: 14,223 in 2023, 18,162 in 2024, and 8,069 in 2025. Thousands of motorists also attempted to challenge their fines, with 3,194 penalties upheld following 4,184 appeals.
Ben Welham, motoring expert at cinch, said: “Bus lanes are designed to keep traffic moving in busy city centres, but they can easily catch drivers out if they’re unfamiliar with the road layout or miss signage.
“Motorists can often accidentally enter a bus lane when following sat nav directions or when traffic suddenly merges near junctions. The safest approach is to always keep an eye out for road markings and time restrictions, especially in city centres where bus lanes may only operate at certain times of day.”
Now a council spokesperson has said: "We've taken steps to make bus lanes even clearer, including resurfacing many of them red, which has dramatically decreased the number of Penalty Charge Notices issued by between 48% - 92% across the city.
"Bus lanes are essential for keeping buses on time and to separate them from other traffic, reducing overall congestion for all road users. Income received from bus lane PCNs gets put back into transport projects that benefit the whole city."