London mayor Lord Khan rakes in £750 every hour from bus lane fines after cash he's netted from them rockets 400 per cent to £6.6million, sparking fresh accusations of a Labour 'war on motorists'

Published: 15:17, 16 August 2026 | Updated: 15:19, 16 August 2026 Lord Khan, the Labour mayor for London, is raking in more than £750 an hour from bus lane fines after the cash he's netted from them rocketed 400 per cent. Figures show Transport for London (TfL), which he chairs, netted a staggering £6.6million from 54,761 motorists straying into bus lanes across the capital last year (2025-26). This was up from £4.3million and 29,423 drivers the year before – a 53 per cent jump in cash terms – and a five-fold surge from £1.2million involving 8,900 drivers three years ago. It means the Labour grandee, who was handed a peerage by former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer last month, is raking in £87,177 in fines per mile of bus lane across London. There are around 76 miles of bus lanes in the capital. It comes on top of a string of charges piled on drivers by Lord Khan’s administration in recent years, including a huge expansion of the £12.50-a-day Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) charge for older cars. He has also hiked the daily Congestion Zone to up to £21 and introduced new river crossing tolls, including for use of the newly built Silvertown Tunnel and historically free Blackwall Tunnel. Drivers who stray into bus lanes – often for only a matter of seconds – are hit with Penalty Charge Notices of £160, normally reduced to £80 if paid within a certain time limit. Lord Khan is raking in £87,177 in fines per mile of bus lane across London after netting £6.6 million in fines last year (2025/26)  Drivers who stray into bus lanes – often for only a matter of seconds or to get out of the way of an emergecny vehicle – are hit with Penalty Charge Notices of £160  Drivers in the capital have an array of signs to grapple with, such as ones like this given there are around 76 miles of bus lanes in London  But motorists often complain of confusing road layouts, poor signage or faded road markings that suggest some are designed to ‘catch out’ drivers. Tory shadow transport minister Greg Smith said: ‘What is it with Labour politicians fleecing motorists? ‘Under Khan, London has become a miserable place to try and get about - and that is in no small part to his constant pick-pocketing of drivers at every turn. ‘For the city to work, people need to be free to get about how they choose, not constantly hindered - financially or otherwise.’ The AA’s Luke Bosdet said: ‘It’s said that London's streets are paved with gold. We now know this is true, in terms of the millions of pounds in fines – and it’s getting worse. ‘London road authorities absolutely love their fines. Like others in cities and big towns up and down the country, they have become utterly reliant on Penalty Charge Notice income.’ It comes after a raft of policies being considered or rolled out by Labour which critics have branded ‘anti-driver’ and a ‘war on motorists’. Last month, the Daily Mail revealed how parking tickets could more than double outside of London under proposals being considered by ministers. At present, tickets are capped at £70 but could soar to £160 under the proposals. This newspaper also revealed how drivers face being clobbered by a tax on workplace parking spaces which has been backed by Prime Minister Andy Burnham. Analysis found nearly a dozen cash-strapped town halls have drawn up plans to bring in the levy for people who drive to work, with growing fears ministers will green-light them given Mr Burnham's previous backing. The Workplace Parking Levy would see councils charge businesses per parking space they provide to staff. Meanwhile, ministers are refusing to rule out a Fuel Duty hike on January 1 despite soaring pump prices because of the Iran war. Not all bus lanes in London are enforced with TfL's legion of CCTV cameras, some are also policed by the capital's 32 borough town halls.