About this bus lane
Bedford Borough Council states that this lane operates 24 hours a day, every day, and dates camera enforcement here to April 2016. Bedford publishes no operating hours for any of its bus lanes on its website, so the council's freedom of information answer is the only statement of them for this site.
It is one of two enforced sites the council's sealed consolidation order does not schedule at all — neither the 2014 order nor its 2021 amendment lists Kempston Road — so there is no traffic order text to check the council's summary against, and no published extent. The permitted vehicles are the council's own, and it restated them in August 2026 after accepting that its first freedom of information answer had understated them across the borough: buses, taxis, motorcycles and emergency vehicles, with pedal cycles permitted wherever motorcycles are, and private hire vehicles treated the same as hackney carriages.
The council also confirms that the Bedford Road bus lane in Kempston runs into this one, and that this is the stretch carrying the camera. Bedford Borough Council's enforcement page describes a single static approved camera that it moves between bus lanes, but the penalty figures it released report tickets issued at nine Bedford sites concurrently in every year since 2021/22 — so treat any of them as capable of being enforced at any time.
The council publishes the £70 penalty; the £35 / 21-day discount is the statutory England default and is not stated on the council page.
Transcribed from Bedford Borough Council's responses to freedom of information requests RFI-08950, 10 August 2026, and RFI-09398, 21 August 2026, and checked against the sealed Bedford Borough Council (Bus Lanes and Bus Only Streets, The Borough of Bedford) Consolidation Order 2014, deposited with the Traffic Penalty Tribunal as document BF178.
Who can use it
- Buses
- Minibuses with 10 or more seats including the driver
- Taxis
- Private hire vehicles
- Motorcycles
- Pedal cycles
- Electrically assisted pedal cycles
- Emergency vehicles
Not permitted
- Cars
- Vans
- Lorries
Where exactly is it?
Kempston Road, Bedford. View on Google Maps →
Got a PCN from this camera?
Don't panic, and don't ignore it. Pay £35 within 21 days to halve the charge — or if the signage was unclear, the details are wrong, or you had a genuine reason to be in the lane, consider challenging it first. Our step-by-step appeal guide covers the grounds that actually win.
Frequently asked questions
What are the operating times of the Kempston Road bus lane?
The Kempston Road Bus Lane in Bedford operates 24 hours a day, every day. There is no time of day when general traffic may use it.
How much is the fine for driving through the Kempston Road bus lane?
Bedford Borough Council issues a Penalty Charge Notice of £70, reduced to £35 if paid within 21 days. There are no penalty points — it is a civil penalty.
Who is allowed to use the Kempston Road bus lane?
Buses, minibuses with 10 or more seats including the driver, taxis, private hire vehicles, motorcycles, pedal cycles, electrically assisted pedal cycles and emergency vehicles are permitted. Not permitted: cars, vans and lorries.
Can I appeal a PCN from the Kempston Road bus lane?
Yes, and it costs nothing. Make formal representations to Bedford Borough Council first — the authority that issued the PCN has to consider them before it can enforce the penalty. If Bedford Borough Council rejects them it must issue a Notice of Rejection, and you can then appeal free to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal. Its adjudicators are lawyers independent of the enforcing authority, and their decision is binding on both sides. This bus lane operates 24 hours, so "I was outside the operating times" is not open to you — the grounds that win here are that your vehicle was exempt, that the details on the PCN are wrong, or that the signage did not make the restriction clear. It is worth doing: Bedford Borough Council accepted 57% of the 745 formal challenges it received in 2025/26 (figures from its own FOI response). Note that paying the £35 discounted rate accepts liability and closes the case, so challenge before you pay.