Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole Bus Lane Fines — Bournemouth
How many bus lane Penalty Charge Notices Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council issues across Bournemouth, from which cameras, how much it raises, and how often challenges succeed — from data released under Freedom of Information (ref FOI 18202).
9,780
PCNs issued in 5 years2021/22–2025/26
£321,356
gross income, 5 yearsnet of costs not held
2,291
PCNs in 2025/26across 1 camera
55%
paid at the £35 discount2025/26
72%
of challenges upheld2025/26
This page reports data released by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council under the Freedom of Information Act (FOI 18202, responded 2026-08-19). Figures are the council's own. BusLaneCheck is independent and not affiliated with the council. Compare every UK authority →
Bus lane PCNs issued per yearGross PCN income per year
The single camera at Coach House Place has issued 9,780 penalties in five years and raised £321,356 — an average of £32.86 for every penalty, against a charge of £70 halved to £35 for prompt payment. That average sits just under the discounted rate because nearly six drivers in ten pay early: 5,865 of the 9,780 penalties were paid at £35. Enforcement dipped in the middle of the period, from 2,359 penalties in 2021/22 down to 1,631 the following year, then recovered through 1,694 and 1,805 to 2,291 in 2025/26 — the busiest year since 2021/22, and a 27 per cent rise on the year before it. Income moved with it, from £58,014 at the low point to £70,028 in 2025/26.
Which cameras issue the most fines
Camera-enforced bus lane locations ranked by PCNs issued in 2025/26. The last column is the 5-year total.
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole enforces exactly one bus lane camera across all three towns — the bus gate at Coach House Place, beside Bournemouth station, where enforcement began in February 2013. The council was asked for its current list of camera-enforced locations and gave that one site, so this is a complete list rather than a partial answer. No league table is shown because there is nothing to rank it against.
Challenges & appeals — do they work?
Formal representations to the council, and appeals to the independent Traffic Penalty Tribunal. Drivers made 2,024 formal challenges over 5 years.
Year
Challenges
Upheld
Rejected
Success rate
To tribunal
2021/22
386
217
169
56%
1 (1 allowed / 0 dismissed)
2022/23
288
150
138
52%
2 (1 allowed / 1 dismissed)
2023/24
323
181
142
56%
2 (1 allowed / 1 dismissed)
2024/25
408
216
192
53%
3 (0 allowed / 3 dismissed)
2025/26
619
445
174
72%
7 (3 allowed / 4 dismissed)
The council's own figures show the share of challenges upheld went from 56% in 2021/22 to 72% in 2025/26 — so a well-grounded challenge is worth making. Challenging a penalty from this gate works far more often than at most authorities. Across the five years drivers made 2,024 formal representations to the council and 1,209 of them were accepted, so the penalty was cancelled in three cases out of five. 2025/26 is the sharpest example: 619 representations, of which 445 succeeded — more than double the number accepted in any earlier year, against a rise in penalties of only about a quarter. Very few cases go further. Fifteen appeals reached the Traffic Penalty Tribunal in five years and adjudicators allowed six of them. See our guide to appealing a bus lane PCN for the grounds that win.
The fine itself
A bus lane PCN from Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council is £70, reduced to £35 if paid within 21 days. It is a civil penalty — there are no licence points. The council's parking legislation page states the bus lane penalty as £70, reduced to £35 if paid within 21 days of issue, under the Traffic Management Act 2004 and the Civil Enforcement of Road Traffic Contraventions (Approved Devices, Charging Guidelines and General Provisions) (England) Regulations 2022. The council ran a trial of higher parking penalties on the seafront in August 2026; it covered parking contraventions only and did not change the bus lane charge.
What the council does not hold or publish
What the camera costs to run. The council gave the money it received and nothing about what enforcement costs it, so every income figure here is gross. There is no way to say what the bus gate nets once the camera, the signs and the back-office processing are paid for.
Operating times and permitted vehicles. The request did not cover these and the council publishes neither on its website, so this site cannot say when the Coach House Place gate applies or which vehicles besides buses may pass through it. The sign at the gate is the only authority on both points.
The bus lanes behind these cameras
Each of these locations has a full page with operating hours, permitted vehicles and the governing traffic order: