A Guardian Money reader in his 80s was fined £90 by Transport for London (TfL) for non-payment of the Ulez charge, despite having paid the £12.50 fee on his American Express card within hours of driving into the zone. TfL had failed to actually collect the payment from his card, then rejected his appeal and threatened escalating fines of up to £360 and possible vehicle seizure, prompting him to pay under duress because he and his wife rely on the car for hospital appointments. The case highlights a recurring administrative failure at TfL that penalises drivers who have done nothing wrong.

The reader provided evidence including a banking app screenshot confirming payment and a letter from American Express stating the sum had been authorised but never collected by TfL, yet this was ignored during the appeal process. TfL, or its payment-processing bank, has repeatedly failed to collect Ulez, congestion and Dartford Crossing charges despite drivers paying on time, with the columnist noting similar cases stretching back to 2019 when TfL claimed to have fixed the issue. After being contacted by the Guardian, TfL apologised, refunded the £90 fine, and said it was reminding its contractor of correct procedures, acknowledging that established processes to prevent such fines "were not followed".