Bus lanes are being slammed by experts who argue they are a "huge money-spinner" with drivers being charged almost £80million in fines.
New analysis from the AA found that English local authorities generated £127.3million in revenue from fines issued to motorists who ventured into bus lanes.
The original data, from the Department for Transport, found that in the financial year between 2022 and 2023, there was a total surplus of £79.6million after taking the £47.7million of costs into account.
The majority of this surplus was generated by Transport for London with a total of £48.5million.
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Transport for London generated the most money from bus lanes of all UK local authorities
GETTYOther major councils generated large amounts of cash from the schemes including Manchester (£4.8million), Bristol (£2.9million) and Essex (£2.5million).
The Highway Code states that drivers should not enter bus lanes unless it is indicated otherwise during its period of operation.
In places where it is not prohibited, drivers may enter a bus lane to stop, load and unload, according to Rule 141.
Restrictions for bus lanes will vary depending on the location, with many preventing cars from travelling at certain times of the day.
Many will also be monitored with camera systems designed to note the number plate of any vehicle that drives in the area when they are forbidden.
Motorists can be hit with hefty fines for entering a bus lane when they are not allowed, with fines on Transport for London routes topping £160, or £80 if paid within a short period of time.
Luke Bosdet, spokesperson for the AA, said bus lanes were a "huge money-spinner" for local authorities.
He added: "The cameras that monitor them haul in fines on an industrial scale. The problem is that, for many sites, the number of drivers caught doesn’t go down.
“That strongly suggests that signage and road markings often don’t do their job in directing drivers away from bus lanes, which need to be kept clear to maintain the efficiency of public transport.
"It’s hard to believe that so many motorists throw themselves into bus lanes like lemmings, for the joy of losing a day’s wages."
Bosdet called on local authorities to provide more transparency to show motorists how many people are at risk of being fined for driving in bus lanes.
He suggested that some bus lanes may not be working or enforced properly if so many vehicles are travelling down them and being slapped with penalty charge notices.
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Drivers are not permitted to travel on bus lanes unless otherwise specified PAThe expert said the cause of these failures "needs to be understood and rectified" to avoid drivers being targeted by local authorities for money.
