Using a route restricted to certain vehiclesThe official national descriptor for code 33, as published in the Department for Transport statutory guidance list.
The letter after the number on your ticket
Codes are often written with a suffix: 33j rather than just 33. The letter narrows the allegation, and it tells you what the council actually says went wrong. These are the suffixes code 33 can carry:
| j | camera enforcement |
| c | buses only |
On this code the remaining letters identify which class of vehicle the route is reserved for. The notice itself spells out the class, and it is worth reading, because the exemptions are the argument.
What the council has to be able to show
An appeal is not an apology, it is a challenge to the council’s case. For code 33 that case rests on:
- A traffic order restricting the route to specified classes of vehicle.
- Prescribed signs at the entry, and on a bus gate that normally means signs a driver can read while moving.
- That your vehicle is not within an exempt class.
- An approved camera and a reviewed image.
Where code 33 tickets go wrong
The strongest and commonest ground. A bus gate needs advance warning, not just a sign at the gate itself, because by then there is nowhere to go. Photograph the whole approach and note the last point at which you could still turn off.
Taxis, private hire in some schemes, blue badge holders in a few, permit holders in others. Check the order, not the sign.
Where roadworks pushed traffic onto the route, that is a compelling reason worth stating with the date.
Outside London, guidance expects a warning notice rather than a penalty for a first contravention in the first six months at that camera. Ask when enforcement began there.
If the notice came from an English council outside London, the appeal route is the Traffic Penalty Tribunal rather than London Tribunals. The stages and deadlines differ, so read our guide to appeals outside London before you write.
What to gather before you write
- Photographs of every sign on the approach, in order, from the driving position.
- A map or dashcam showing where the last turn-off was.
- The full video.
Code 33 questions, answered
What actually is a bus gate, and why is it not obvious?
It is a short stretch of road that only buses, taxis and cycles may use, often no longer than a few car lengths and usually in the middle of a normal-looking street. There is no barrier and nothing physically stops you. That is precisely why the signing matters so much: the whole scheme depends on a driver reading and understanding a sign while moving, and if the advance warning is missing or too late, that is the appeal.
What does contravention code 33 mean?
Using a route restricted to certain vehicles. In plain terms: Bus gates. A short length of road open only to buses, taxis and cycles, usually in a town centre. This is among the highest-volume camera codes in the country, for the simple reason that a driver following a sat nav has no idea one is coming.
How much is a code 33 penalty?
Code 33 is a moving traffic or bus lane contravention, so it is not banded higher and lower the way parking codes are. In London the charge is £160 across the board. Outside London it is set at the higher level, commonly around £70. Half is normally taken off for early payment, and because these notices are usually issued from a camera rather than by an officer at the roadside, that discount period is often 21 days rather than 14. Your notice states the actual figures and the actual deadline, and it is the notice that governs.
Your notice is definitive. This page explains the national code. Councils use extra codes and local suffixes, and the wording printed on your own notice always takes precedence. Check the deadline on the notice before you do anything else, because the discount usually runs out after 14 days.
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