Bus Lane Enforcement

To improve our public transport system and to make our roads safer for cyclists, the council will issue Penalty Charge Notices (PCN) to people who drive in bus lanes illegally.

Bus lanes are enforced by camera and signage will inform motorists that bus lanes are in operation.

How to pay your Penalty Charge Notice

Payment of the penalty charge should be made to avoid the case moving on or an increase in the penalty charge. Payment can only be made in full.

Using our online service you can pay for a PCN quickly and securely using your credit or debit card. You will need your PCN reference number (that begins with LK) and the Vehicle Registration Number in order to use the online service.

Contraventions on or after 31/05/2022

The Penalty Charge is £70, which should be paid no later than 28 days beginning with the Date of Service of the notice, but Newcastle City Council will accept a discounted sum of £35 if it receives payment within 21 days beginning with the Date of Service (The Date of Service is classed as the second working day after the day of posting and working days exclude Saturdays, Sundays, New Year’s Day, Christmas Day, Good Friday and any other day which is a Bank Holiday in England and Wales. Newcastle City Council calculates the Date of Service for you and includes it on the PCN).

Contraventions before 31/05/2022

The Penalty Charge is £60, which should be paid no later than 28 days beginning with the Date of Service of the notice, but Newcastle City Council will accept a discounted sum of £30 if it receives payment within 14 days beginning with the Date of Service (The Date of Service is classed as the second working day after the day of posting and working days exclude Saturdays, Sundays, New Year’s Day, Christmas Day, Good Friday and any other day which is a Bank Holiday in England and Wales. Newcastle City Council calculates the Date of Service for you and includes it on the PCN).

In order to stop duplicate payments being made please check below.

Please note any payments taken today before 5.30pm will not appear against the Penalty Charge Notice until the next working day

Please note any payments taken today after 5.30pm will not appear against the Penalty Charge Notice until the day after the next working day.

If paying after 5.30pm on a Friday night & over the weekend any payments taken will not appear against the Penalty Charge Notice until the following Tuesday.

If paying after 5.30pm on Friday night & over a Bank Holiday weekend payments taken will not appear against the Penalty Charge Notice until the following Wednesday.

(Working day means Monday to Friday excluding Bank Holidays).

Pay online

Pay a Bus Lane Penalty Charge Notice

Other ways to pay

You can send payment by post to the following address, if you prefer to use this payment method:

Bus Lanes Team

Newcastle City Council

7th Floor

Civic Centre

Barras Bridge

Newcastle upon Tyne

NE1 8OH

How can I make representations against my PCN?

Help me decide whether to appeal and what to send in

In 3 minutes Chatbot Max can:

help you decide whether an appeal is likely to succeed;
tell you what evidence you'd need to provide
write your appeal for you (if it looks like you meet our leniency policies).

Skip the help – just take me to the appeals form

If you don’t want advice (see above) on whether an appeal is likely to succeed or what evidence we need, you can go straight to the appeals form. Here, you can see your case details, any photo/CCTV evidence, and pay or appeal.

You can submit written representations by post to the following address:

Bus Lanes Team

Newcastle City Council

7th Floor

Civic Centre

Barras Bridge

Newcastle upon Tyne

NE1 8OH

The council may consider mitigating circumstances, although some of the following reasons will not normally be accepted:

“I was going to turn left at the next junction.”
“My Sat Nav equipment directed me in to the bus lane.”
“There were no buses in the bus lane at the time.”
“I was only in the lane for a few seconds.”
“I was lost.”
“I didn’t see the signs.”

How can I view the footage?

You can view the footage of your PCN below

View footage

How are bus lanes authorised?

Bus Lanes are created by Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) (pdf, 88kb) and supplemented by John Dobson Street and St Mary's Place Variation Order 2015 (pdf, 471kb), Great North Road Variation Order 2016 (pdf, 163kb), Monument Area Variation Order 2016 (pdf, 181kb)William Armstrong Drive Variation Order 2017 (pdf, 130kb) Newgate Street Variation Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (261 KB) Neville Street Variation Order 2019 (pdf, 189kb) Killingworth Road Variation Order 2019 (pdf, 133kb) and Westgate Road Variation Experimental Order 2021 and High Street and Gosforth Variation Traffic Regulation Order 2024 using powers under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. A bus lane is a traffic lane reserved for buses (and pedal cycles, motorcycles, taxis and authorised vehicles, where indicated by the signs).

When are bus lanes in operation?

The times of operation of bus lanes in Newcastle will be clearly signed. The majority of bus lanes in Newcastle operate from 7.00am to 7.00pm, 7 days per week. If there are no times stated on the signs, the bus lane is in operation 24 hours a day. Road signs and markings will clearly indicate the start and end of bus lanes and highlight the hours of operation. All bus lanes in Newcastle are in operation on Bank Holidays. You can view the details of the locations of bus lanes, bus gates and bus only streets, the times of operation and permitted vehicles. (pdf, 213kb)

What happens if you are caught driving or parking illegally in a bus lane?

Those vehicles that drive or park illegally in bus lanes will receive a PCN through the post, addressed to the registered keeper of the vehicle. It will contain details of the alleged contravention, details of the vehicle and photographs that show that the contravention occurred.

Motorists will not receive points on their licence in connection with PCNs issued by Newcastle City Council or in the event that a Fixed Penalty Notice is issued by the Police, you will only be required to pay the penalty charge.

Some vehicles are permitted to drive in bus lanes when it is in operation and can differ between different locations, so you should check the signs at the start of the lane or bus only street before entering.

Data Protection Information

Personal data has been collected in order to serve this Penalty Charge Notice and enforce the Bus Lane terms and conditions. As a contravention has occurred, your personal data may be collected, processed, shared and retained in order to carry out the performance of a public task and fulfil our legal obligations in the following ways:

To request details of the registered keeper of the vehicle from the DVLA in order to pursue a Penalty Charge Notice.
Shared with third parties for appeals and enforcement.
Shared with the police or security organisations to prevent or detect crime.

Your Data Rights

In relation to the personal data which we may hold about you, you have the right to request to:

Be informed, have access or rectify incorrect information. You also have the right to object to or restrict our processing of your data.

Under Data Protection law we must verify your identity and explain to you our reasons if we do not agree to carry out your request.

Contact and Further Information for Data Protection enquiries only

If you would like more information about how we use your data, please read our Privacy Policy. Data protection questions can be made via telephone on 0191 211 6500, by email to dataprotection@newcastle.gov.uk or in writing to Data Protection, Newcastle City Council, 6th Floor, Civic Centre, Barras Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8QH

You have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at www.ICO.org.uk.

Where can I get further information?

Details of the Council’s policy and approach to representations are documented in The Council of the City of Newcastle upon Tyne (“The Council”) Policy for the Consideration of Challenges against Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) issued for Bus Lane Contraventions (pdf, 17.6kb).

Further information about Civil Parking and Bus Lane Enforcement (including PCNs and NTOs) is available online at www.patrol-uk.info.

If you would like to discuss your Bus Lane PCN with an advisor, please call 0191 2787878 quoting "Bus Lanes".

Related Pages

Parking, Permits & Bus Lanes

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Bus Lane Enforcement