London Taxi Driver’s £650 Fine Overturned After System Error

A London taxi driver has been issued fines totaling £650 for using a bus lane in Greenwich, despite the lane being designated for taxi use. Over a span of three weeks, Paul Luchford, a black cab driver from Sidcup, received five Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) from Greenwich Council for using the southbound lane on Blackwall Lane. Each fine was valued at £130, and they arrived before he was even aware of the first violation.

Luchford, who has worked as a black cab driver for over twenty years, routinely takes this route for a regular fare between Blackheath and Canary Wharf. The driver maintained that he had never previously been fined for using the lane and that the signage clearly indicated that taxis were permitted. After lodging an appeal against the fines, he was informed that the charges were incorrectly issued due to a system error.

A Greenwich Council spokesperson acknowledged the issue:

"We apologise that due to a system error, Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) were incorrectly generated for an exempt vehicle. This has now been resolved and the PCNs have been cancelled. The owner has received a written response confirming this."

Luchford expressed his frustration over the ordeal:

"I’ve been going down this bus lane since 2020 and now all of a sudden they’re issuing PCNs for using it."

He described the stress caused by the situation:

"The job is stressful enough. You always wonder - did I do something wrong? Did I accidentally go over the 20mph speed limit? Did I make a right turn where you’re not allowed anymore? So, you just don’t need this added stress."

Council data from April 2023 to April 2024 revealed that Blackwall Lane southbound had the second-highest number of PCNs issued among Greenwich bus lanes, with 3,612 fines recorded. An additional 566 fines were issued for the northbound lane, raising concerns about the frequency of enforcement in the area.

Similar concerns have been raised in other UK cities, where taxi drivers have criticised bus lane rules. In Derby, for example, many taxi drivers have expressed frustration over what they consider to be unfair regulations that impact their ability to work efficiently. Taxi drivers criticise unfair bus lane rules in Derby City Centre.

Local taxi drivers have since questioned whether similar errors may have affected others, calling for greater transparency and improved oversight in issuing PCNs.