NYC congestion pricing: MTA board officially approves reduced $9 toll

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The board of the MTA on Monday voted to officially approve Gov. Kathy Hochul‘s updated New York City congestion pricing plan with a new, lower toll.

The planned passed with only one “no” vote and now awaits federal approval before being fully implemented.

Last week, Hochul announced that the controversial tolling program would be brought back with a lower charge for drivers, and the plan would be implemented by Jan. 5, 2025. Under the new iteration, most drivers will be paying a toll of $9 when entering the Central Business District (CBD), which is any surface street in Manhattan south of 60th Street.

Originally, drivers would have been charged $15 for entering the CBD. Hochul characterized her initial opposition to the program as a concern over the high cost for working New Yorkers.

The MTA recently revealed that while the toll has been lowered, it can be raised as early as 2028 and again in 2031.

The toll for passenger vehicles can grow to $12 as soon as 2028, and then to $15 as soon as 2031 — the original cost of the toll before Hochul paused the program in June.

According to the governor, the 40% lower fee will still allow the MTA to secure $15 billion in bonds for capital projects while saving daily commuters around $1,500 annually.

“As governor, it is my job to make decisions that take into account the needs of all working New Yorkers. I made the decision to put the congestion pricing program on pause while we devised a different path forward,” Hochul said when she announced the plan’s return.

This new version of congestion pricing will also lower the tolls for drivers entering Manhattan after 9 p.m., to encourage more nighttime deliveries in the city.

The governor also announced that the MTA will be adding more service to at least 23 bus routes, putting a high priority on more frequent trips for the outer boroughs.

With the pieces of congestion pricing falling into place, MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said the Transit Authority now knows it has a source of additional income and can begin to move forward with capital projects like the Interborough Express, a light rail line that would connect Brooklyn and Queens.