How should £1.8m from bus lane fines be spent?

Motorists paid more than £1.8m in fines for bus lane infringements across Oxfordshire last year, a Freedom of Information (FOI) request has shown.

In 2025, Oxfordshire County Council earned £1.83m from infringements - an increase of nearly £500,000 on the previous year, despite the total number of fines issued being greater in 2024.

The local authority said most of the money earned was spent on covering the costs of the bus lanes, with any surplus used on road repairs.

To see what the public thought of that plan, the BBC went down to Cowley to find out what locals felt the money should be spent on.

Robert Trivasse, a self-professed cycling enthusiast, said he would like the cash to be "committed to trying to push cars out of Oxford".

"I would love to see investment into parking. More spaces like the park and rides where you can leave your car safely," he said.

"They're putting in infrastructure to be like 'don't drive your car', but not putting in the support to allow people to do that easily".

Mimi M Shajahan, who regularly uses buses, said she would like to see the cash put into expanding the local public transport networks.

"Some places are really difficult to get into [via bus]," she explained, before adding: "Maybe they could even reduce ticket charges."

But Mary Crowne supported the council's current plan, highlighting potholes in particular as an area that required the investment.

"I was driving yesterday and I hit one on every road," she explained.

"I couldn't believe it. There's no way you can see them in traffic and they're everywhere."

Oxfordshire County Council currently manages bus lanes on ten roads across some of Oxford's busiest routes, along with one a piece in Didcot and Wantage.

The data, sourced by online car retailer Cinch, shows the authority issued more than 200,000 penalty charge notices to motorists for bus lane misdemeanours between 2023 and 2025 - with more than 72,000 issued last year.

Overall the bus lane on Oxford's High Street was by far the council's biggest cash cow - with almost double the amount of money earned from it than the next highest earning spot.

The authority said the lanes were "an important aid to improving bus reliability and easing congestion" - something it has made a priority in recent years.

"Any surplus generated after meeting costs incurred can be spent on highway or road improvement projects," it explained.

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