Bus Lane

PCN Grounds of Appeal

Bus Lane

PCN Grounds of Appeal

Below are the only grounds (reasons) on which a Traffic Penalty Tribunal Adjudicator can instruct a local authority in England (outside London) or Wales to cancel a Bus Lane Penalty Charge Notice (PCN).

Unsure which ground
applies to your case?

Explain clearly why you are submitting an appeal in as much detail as possible.
The Adjudicator will be able to identify if a Ground of Appeal or compelling reason applies in your case.

Below are the only grounds (reasons) on which a Traffic Penalty Tribunal Adjudicator can instruct a local authority in England (outside London) or Wales to cancel a Bus Lane Penalty Charge Notice (PCN).

Unsure which ground applies to your case?

Explain clearly why you are submitting an appeal in as much detail as possible. The Adjudicator will be able to identify if a Ground of Appeal or compelling reason applies in your case.

The penalty exceeded the amount that applied in the circumstances

This means the authority has asked for more than they are entitled to under the relevant regulations. This is up to £70.

The contravention did not occur

For example:

the signs and lines were wrong
the vehicle was permitted to be in a bus lane
the vehicle was not in the bus lane.

The police are already taking action

Either:

the alleged contravention is the subject of criminal proceedings
a Fixed Penalty Notice (this is different to a PCN) has been issued for the same incident.

You did not own the vehicle when alleged contravention occurred

For example:

you have never been the Registered Keeper
you sold it before, or bought it after, the date of the contravention. You will usually be required to provide the name / address details of who you bought the vehicle from / sold the vehicle to in your appeal. If you cannot do this, you should explain why
it was under a long-term leasing arrangement that transfers ‘keepership’ from the Registered Keeper to the hirer.

The owner is a vehicle hire firm

This ground applies only to qualifying formal hire agreements, where the hirer has signed an agreement accepting liability of penalty charges issued during the hire period. You should provide the hirer’s name and address and a copy of the agreement when making an appeal to us.

For further guidance, see:

I am / was the hirer of the vehicle at the time, but the hire agreement does NOT make us liable for the penalty

This applies when the penalty was served on the basis that the vehicle was on hire under an agreement placing liability on the hirer, but there was no such agreement.

When the alleged contravention occurred, the vehicle was kept by a trader

This applies if, although you owned the vehicle at the time, the vehicle was kept by a vehicle dealer, auctioneer, scrap yard, insurer, or had been repossessed.

The vehicle was taken without the owner's consent

This ground covers stolen vehicles and vehicles used without the owner’s consent. It could apply, for example, to a vehicle taken by ‘joy riders’. It does not generally apply to vehicles in the care of a garage or borrowed by a relative or friend. If possible, you should supply a crime reference number from the police when submitting an appeal.

The penalty exceeded the amount that applied in the circumstances

This means the authority has asked for more than they are entitled to under the relevant regulations. This is £60.

The contravention did not occur

For example:

the signs and lines were wrong
the vehicle was permitted to be in a bus lane
the vehicle was not in the bus lane.

The police are already taking action

Either:

the alleged contravention is the subject of criminal proceedings
a Fixed Penalty Notice (this is different to a PCN) has been issued for the same incident.

You did not own the vehicle when alleged contravention occurred

For example:

you have never been the Registered Keeper
you sold it before, or bought it after, the date of the contravention. You will usually be required to provide the name / address details of who you bought the vehicle from / sold the vehicle to in your appeal. If you cannot do this, you should explain why
it was under a long-term leasing arrangement that transfers ‘keepership’ from the Registered Keeper to the hirer.

The owner is a vehicle hire firm

This ground applies only to qualifying formal hire agreements, where the hirer has signed an agreement accepting liability of penalty charges issued during the hire period. You should provide the hirer’s name and address and a copy of the agreement when making an appeal to us.

For further guidance, see:

I am / was the hirer of the vehicle at the time, but the hire agreement does NOT make us liable for the penalty

This applies when the penalty was served on the basis that the vehicle was on hire under an agreement placing liability on the hirer, but there was no such agreement.

When the alleged contravention occurred, the vehicle was kept by a trader

This applies if, although you owned the vehicle at the time, the vehicle was kept by a vehicle dealer, auctioneer, scrap yard, insurer, or had been repossessed.

The vehicle was taken without the owner's consent

This ground covers stolen vehicles and vehicles used without the owner’s consent. It could apply, for example, to a vehicle taken by ‘joy riders’. It does not generally apply to vehicles in the care of a garage or borrowed by a relative or friend. If possible, you should supply a crime reference number from the police when submitting an appeal.