An information sign
With-flow bus lane
A with-flow bus lane runs in the same direction as the rest of the traffic and is reserved for buses - and usually pedal cycles and taxis - during the hours shown on the sign.
01
What it means
'With-flow' means the bus lane runs your way, next to the normal lanes, marked by a solid white line and 'BUS LANE' on the road. Only the vehicles named on the sign may use it during its hours; a plate lists them (buses, cycles, and often taxis, sometimes motorcycles). Outside those hours any vehicle can use it - so a lane that's bus-only at rush hour may be open midday.
Always read the times and the permitted vehicles on the plate; they vary lane to lane. There's no single official diagram we can show for every variant, so this page carries the rule in words.
02
Where you'll see it
Main roads into and across town, especially busy commuter corridors in London.
03
On your driving test
Using a bus lane during its hours is going where you're not allowed. Read the plate, and only use the lane if it's outside the hours or you're a permitted vehicle (you won't be in a car).
Fines and penalties
Bus lanes are heavily camera-enforced. Driving in one during its hours is a bus-lane contravention - in London typically a £160 PCN, halved if paid within 14 days. No licence points, but the cameras catch it automatically.
Often confused with
Quick answers
Can I drive in a with-flow bus lane?
Only outside its operating hours, or if you're one of the vehicles named on the sign (buses, cycles, usually taxis). In a private car during the bus-lane hours, no.
How do I know when a bus lane is in force?
The plate by the lane lists the hours and the vehicles allowed. If there are no times shown, it operates 24 hours; if times are shown, it's only a bus lane then.
Rules and meanings from the Highway Code (gov.uk).
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