Parking and traffic violation FAQs

My violation was issued a long time ago. Why didn’t I find out sooner?

We notify the relevant member as soon as we’re made aware of any alleged violation, but we can be late finding out ourselves. This is because local authorities issue parking fines, and we often won’t know anything about a parking violation until we receive a ‘Notice to Owner’ which, regrettably, will frequently arrive after the initial 14-day reduced penalty period has already passed.

I didn’t have the vehicle at the time of the alleged offence. How can I be held responsible?

We ask all members to leave the vehicle safe at the end of every booking and there is no guarantee of another booking soon afterwards. This means that a PCN (Parking Charge Notice) could well be issued in the hours, or even days, after your booking. 

Frustratingly, sometimes our dedicated car club bays for Roundtrip vehicles are blocked by other road users. Parking close to the bay, or even half in it, sadly isn’t enough to avoid potential fines from parking enforcement officers.  Whenever you have any uncertainty about what parking safely involves, we simply ask members to call 0333 240 9000. The phone line priorities members in active bookings for such moments.

What is the ‘notice to owner’?

The issuing authority will reach out to us with a ‘Notice to Owner’ - a notification that a violation allegedly occurred in one of our vehicles. However, due to volume and third-party factors, it can be weeks or even months before we are made aware. Rest assured, we then check the member specifics and reach out at that point as quickly as possible.

Why is it taking so long to get this issue resolved?

Unfortunately, violation issues are notoriously slow moving. Primarily, this is because fines are issued by third parties, and frequently involve three points of communication (issuing authority, Zipcar and the member).  What’s more, there is often a relatively high degree of complexity. It’s hugely important to us that our members get a fair outcome, which means this can take time.

Who decides if my appeal will be successful?

As local authorities issue violation fines, they also determine whether there are grounds for appeal. That said, our vehicles and our staff have been involved in these processes for many years and we will often know, from experience, when an appeal has any chance of success. We will sometimes advise the member accordingly.

Rest assured that we want members to be successful in their appeals wherever there are sufficient grounds. We don’t profit from violations, and we are only too aware that the association of a fine with Zipcar, even when issued by third parties, is also detrimental to us. We want all our members to enjoy convenient, pain-free car-sharing.

What does liability transfer mean?

A liability transfer refers to the process of transferring responsibility for a traffic violation to you, the driver, as the person liable for the fine.

Why was the violation transferred to me?

We transferred the violation to you because we determined that you were the liable driver at the time of the incident. As such, we passed the responsibility for the fine to you.

What happens if the liability transfer is not successful?

If the request to transfer liability to you is not accepted by the relevant authority, we may pay the violation on your behalf in accordance with our member contract and charge you the associated costs.

What happens if I pay the fine and then the liability transfer is confirmed as successful?

If you have already paid the fine, nothing further will need to be done. The case will be closed, and you can confirm the status by checking the violation details on the issuing authority’s website.

How long will it take for the issuing authority to contact me?

Once the liability transfer is successful, the issuing authority may take up to 56 days to contact you. However, this process can sometimes be faster. If the transfer is unsuccessful or we do not receive a response, we will settle the fine on your behalf.

Can I appeal the violation?

If the liability transfer is successful, you can appeal the violation directly with the issuing authority. However, if the liability transfer is unsuccessful, we reserve the right to pay the fine on your behalf.

Will all violations be transferred to my name?

Not all violations will be transferred to your name. To keep charges as low as possible, we may choose to settle the violation ourselves and pass the cost on to you, depending on the issuing authority and the type of violation. If we believe the transfer has a high chance of success, we will attempt to transfer the liability.

Why can’t I talk on the phone to someone about my violation/PCN?

We have a small, dedicated and highly trained team of experts who review all violations/PCNs, so to ensure we’re responding to each member fairly, we ask to correspond via email. We do appreciate that fines are upsetting and frustrating, and want to help in any way we can. However, because these charges are issued by third parties and frequently involve investigation, it is unlikely even a senior member of the team will be able to provide a resolution over the phone.

We also ask for emails to ensure we keep a clear, written record of the issue at hand, which means we can connect any information shared easily and quickly.

Do Zipcar profit from violation charges?

Not at all. It takes a considerable amount of time and team resources to review all the violations passed to us. We issue £30 administration fees simply to minimise the losses we face through this process. As such, the fee is non-refundable.

What’s the deal with the Rotherhithe Tunnel?

Please be aware that the Rotherhithe Tunnel only allows vehicles under 2 tonnes, and both our VW Transporter and Ford Transit weigh more than this. Failure to follow this restriction will result in a PCN.

As such, our VW Transporter and Ford Transit vans should never be taken through the tunnel. You can find out more on this topic on our Help Centre page on this subject here.

We do try to make members aware of this whenever possible, but there are also reminders just before entering the tunnel. Appeals for related infringements will therefore not be successful.

What about Zipcar for Business?

All of the above still applies to Zipcar for Business accounts, but there are a couple of details that you should note:

• The admin or main account will be charged for the PCN as this is the account that covered the booking
• The driver will be notified directly of the PCN, it is then their responsibility to inform the account admin
• The driver should be the one to dispute or communicate with our team about the violation