AROUND 600 drivers a week are being fined for using Glasgow's 'busiest' bus lane.

Freedom of Information figures show the figure is down on the 4688 caught weekly when the lane was first introduced in June last year, but around four times higher than the next most 'popular' lane in Victoria Road/St Andrew's Cross.

Since the lane came into force, the number of motorists being caught has steadily dropped but stood at more than 700 during December last year and January this year.

In May this year, 2683 drivers were caught, nearly 2000 in June, and 2334 in July - averaging nearly 600 a week.

The number caught in Victoria Road is around 150 a week.

Council bosses say the number of offenders has dropped "significantly" and they hope to see further reductions.

Alistair Watson, responsible for sustainability and transport with the city council, said: "One of the aims of the bus gate is to reduce the number of vehicles travelling through the city centre, while improving provision for public transport.

"There is always a period of adjustment when new restrictions are introduced. It's clear from the reduction in offences that drivers are aware of the bus lanes and have modified the route they take.

"The majority of the city's drivers won't receive bus lane charges since they don't drive through what is now a well-known and very visible bus gate.

"The number of offences has dropped significantly and hopefully we will see even further reductions. "Most drivers contravening the bus gate pay the penalty within 14 days which reduces their fine to £30."

As reported by the Evening Times last month, drivers have paid more than £1million in fines for using bus lanes in Glasgow so far this year.

According to a Freedom of Information response, Glasgow City Council collected £1.2m in the first six months of 2015.

Nearly £985,000 was collected in the first three months, followed by £198,459 between April and June.

That figure is nearly the same for the money collected during the whole of 2014 when £1.6m was generated by the fines.

A statement from the council said the income would be ploughed into transport infrastructure and put towards delivering their local transport strategy, in accordance with Transport Scotland regulations.

There was no breakdown on which bus lanes generated the most money but previous figures have shown the bus lane in Nelson Mandela Place caught 50,000 drivers in its first six months - 10 times the number captured in the next most 'productive' lane - between July and December last year. Just 4885 drivers were caught in the Victoria Road/St Andrew's Cross bus lane during the same period.

The Nelson Mandela Place lane was introduced on June 30 2014, and has been criticised by many drivers claiming the warning signs were not clear enough. The city council was forced to improve them after a flood of complaints.

Council bosses insist the lanes are needed to keep public transport moving and say that since their introduction the number of drivers fined has fallen by more than half, proving they work.

The council is currently consulting on whether to limit the hours of bus lane operation to 7am-7pm.

It follows complaints from motorists fined after driving in deserted bus lanes in the early hours of the morning or on days when no buses were running.

The first bus lanes in the city were introduced almost a quarter of a century ago, but until 2012 were enforced by the police.

Their role was then taken over by the city council and in April that year enforcement cameras were switched on. A city council spokesman said: "The point of bus lanes cameras is to reduce offending - and the number of offences has steadily decreased since their initial introduction in 2012, demonstrating that drivers are changing their behaviour."