Between March 5 and March 24, Paul Luchford from Sidcup was sent five PCNs by Greenwich Council for using the lane in Blackwall Lane.
However, signs along the route make it clear that taxis are exempt from restrictions that prevent cars using the lane between 6am and 10pm.
Mr Luchford, who has been a black cab driver for over two decades, said he often uses Blackwall Lane for a regular job he works between Blackheath and Canary Wharf, and had never been fined for using the bus lane before last month.
Signs show that taxis are exempt from restrictions in Blackwall Lane bus lane (Image: Paul Luchford)
He had already used the lane five times in March before he received the first £130 fine, meaning he faced a £650 bill.
The taxi driver appealed all five charges and since speaking with the News Shopper, the local authority has confirmed that his PCNs have been cancelled.
“I’ve been going down this bus lane since 2020 and now all of a sudden they’re issuing PCNs for using it,” he said.
“In the past, I’ve had the odd fine where it’s been a mistake, I’ve appealed it and that’s the end of it, but I’ve never had five for the same bus lane for the same infringement.”
He added that appealing fines he should never have been issued with had caused him lots of “unnecessary stress”.
“The job is stressful enough,” Mr Luchford explained. “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.”
Data from April 2023 to April 2024 showed that southbound Blackwall Lane had the second-highest number of PCNs issued of any bus lane in Greenwich.
In that year, 3,612 fines were handed out, as well as a further 566 PCNs in Blackwall Lane northbound.
A council spokesperson said: “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.”
