Notices of Rejection under the Road User Charging (Enforcement & Adjudication) Regulations 2001 Amended
Request ID: FOI-1322-2324 Date published: 17 August 2023
You asked
Please provide the following, for the period 26/07/22 to 26/07/23:
1. Total number of Notices of Rejection issued for Congestion Charge PCN's
2. Number of Notices of Rejection issued for Congestion Charge PCN's where the vehicle owner had paid a third party instead of TFL
3. Amount of penalty charge revenue received by TFL in relation to item 2
We answered
Our ref: FOI-1322-2324/GH
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 26 July 2023 asking for information about Notices of Rejection.
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 the information you require.
Transport for London (TfL) has no association with third party organisations who operate unofficial websites accepting payments of Road User Charging charges, usually at a higher rate.
TfL encourages all motorists to use the official site to pay the charge. Paid-for search activity is being deployed so that Google’s search engine displays the official TfL website in a high position at the top or near the top of the page. Unfortunately, when people are searching to pay, internet search engines don’t always suggest the official TfL Pay to Drive web page at the top of their search results. This means that people may be offered a link to an unofficial payment site.
The official TfL website advises customers how to avoid payment fraud, and TfL works proactively with search engine companies such as Google, as well as with Advertising Standards and Trading Standards, to remove unofficial websites entirely from the internet.
As part of the representation process, any customer who provides sufficient evidence within the statutory period that the charge was purchased via an unofficial website, will have their PCN cancelled on the basis that it is a first time occurrence.
A representation is rejected if the motorist fails to provide adequate evidence to confirm that payment was made through a third party site.
Please provide the following, for the period 26/07/22 to 26/07/23:
1. Total number of Notices of Rejection issued for Congestion Charge PCN's
Between 26/07/22 and 26/07/2023 we issued 27,272 Notices of Rejection for Congestion Charge PCNs.
2. Number of Notices of Rejection issued for Congestion Charge PCN's where the vehicle owner had paid a third party instead of TFL
Between 26/07/22 and 26/07/2023, 499 Notices Of Rejection were issued to individuals whose representation stated they had paid the charge via a third party website instead of TfL
3. Amount of penalty charge revenue received by TFL in relation to item 2
The amount of revenue received in payment for the 499 penalties for which Notices of Rejections were issued is £40,387.
If you have experienced any issues disputing the issue of a PCN where the charge was purchased via a third party website, please contact [email protected] where this can be investigated.
If this is not the information you are looking for, please do not hesitate to contact me.
If you are not satisfied with this response please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.
Yours sincerely
Graham Hurt FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
