Our ref: FOI-0777-2425

Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 06 June 2024 asking for information on penalty charge notices (PCNs).

Your request has been considered under the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and our information access policy. 

I can confirm that we do hold some of the information you require. You asked:

Please confirm how many ULEZ PCNs have been issued in May and June 2024 (broken down by month) , and how many PCNs have been paid (broken down by month).

When a motorist drives a non-compliant vehicle within the zone, they have up to three days to purchase the daily charge. If no charge is purchased a penalty is issued. As we must wait until the charge payment period has expired, and then carry out some verification before issuing a penalty, it is usually around 5-7 days after the journey that the penalty is issued. 

The table below details the number of penalties issued for journeys into the zone in May 2024 and the payment data is correct as of 11 June 2024. It is worth noting that the number of PCNs paid will change daily as more charges are paid over time.

We are currently unable to provide the PCN data for June because our Road User Charging system has to provide the appropriate period for road users to purchase the charge at the standard daily charge either in advance, or on the day of travel through all the relevant payment channels or at the next day charge rate within the 3 working day window after the journey. Only after this 3-day period has elapsed can we determine if a charge has not been paid and process the relevant image of the vehicle captured by our camera network. After the 3-day period, we also need to manually verify that the vehicle information provided by the DVLA matches the image of the vehicle which we have pictured in the zone before a PCN is issued. 

On receipt of a penalty a motorist has 14 days to pay the penalty at the reduced rate of £90 or 28 days to pay at £180. The majority of the penalties issued will still be payable at these rates and therefore the number of penalties paid will increase significantly over time. 

When a PCN is issued the recipient has the right to challenge it by submitting representation to us. On receipt of a representation the penalty is placed on hold. Should the representation be accepted the PCN is cancelled. If it is rejected the motorist has a further right of appeal to an Independent Adjudicator at London Tribunals. This process can take up to three months, meaning it can be some time before an accurate figure of PCNs paid so soon after they have been issued. 

If you are not satisfied with this response please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.

Yours sincerely,

Tahsin Prima

FOI Case Officer

General Counsel

Transport for London