How we check our guides
The guides are what many drivers read before they decide anything, so this is how they are made.
Last updated
Who writes the guides?
The ByeFine editorial team. No single person is named as the author, because the guides are written and checked by the team as a whole, and ByeFine is not a law firm. We will name a reviewer on a guide only when a real person with a real qualification has agreed to be named.
What is each claim checked against?
Official and tribunal pages: GOV.UK, legislation.gov.uk, the Traffic Penalty Tribunal, London Tribunals, POPLA, the Independent Appeals Service, the private parking industry code, Citizens Advice and the issuers' own published pages. Each guide lists the pages it comes from at the bottom, with pages specific to its topic first where we have read one that says what the guide says. A guide about something other than parking lists only its own pages, because the shared parking pages do not support it. For the more recent guides we keep a claim-by-claim record behind that list. Nothing is copied from another appeal service.
What will a guide never say?
A penalty amount. Amounts differ by issuer and area and they change, so the notice in your hand is the only reliable source. A time limit appears only where it is the same everywhere; otherwise the guide says the notice tells you. The key fact and every answer in the questions section restate something the guide's own text already says.
What do the dates on a guide mean?
First published is the day the guide went live. Last checked is the day we last read it against the pages it lists. The second date moves only when we have actually done that.
Is it legal advice?
No. The guides are general information for England and Wales. The rules differ in Scotland and Northern Ireland, and every notice prints its own dates, so always go by the notice.
Is the advice independent of the paid service?
The guides say what is free before they mention what is paid: you can appeal every stage yourself for nothing, and the guide on free routes and paid services lists what to check before paying anyone, us included. ByeFine is independent of every council, parking company, tribunal, the DVLA and the police.
What if something is wrong?
Tell us at support@byefine.com and name the guide and the sentence. We check it against the official page, correct the guide if it is wrong, and move its last checked date.