Are scooters allowed in bus lanes across London?

Keypoints

• TfL policy allows motorcycles/scooters in most red-route bus lanes on its own network. 
• Borough roads are different: each council decides whether PTWs can use their bus lanes. 
• Legally, the rule is always shown on the blue bus-lane sign – scooters are allowed only where a motorcycle symbol appears.
• Central Bikes’ own guidance article repeats the same: “motorcycles can also use the bus lanes on most of the Capital’s red routes” but not all bus lanes everywhere. 

Explainer
London doesn’t have one single rule for bus lanes. There are two layers:
1. TfL red routes – major arterial roads managed by Transport for London. On these, motorcycles and scooters are generally permitted in bus lanes, and this is now baked into TfL’s bus-priority guidance.
2. Borough-managed roads – each borough (Camden, Islington, Kensington & Chelsea, etc.) sets its own policy, and some still restrict scooters from using bus lanes.

For an Aprilia scooter rider, the only safe operational rule is to read the sign every time: if the motorcycle icon is on the blue bus-lane plate, you can use it (within the hours shown); if it isn’t, you risk a PCN by riding in that lane.