New York City's Congestion Pricing: Fees and Facts
NEW YORK (PIX11) – Visiting New York City? Here are some fast facts on congestion pricing.
The Price:
| Type of Vehicle | Peak | Off Peak |
| Passenger and small commercial vehicles (Sedans, SUVs, pick-up trucks, and small vans) | $9 | $2.25 |
| Motorcycles | $4.50 | $1.05 |
| Trucks and buses | $14.40 - $21.60 | $3.60 - $5.40 |
Peak hours run from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends.
What is Congestion pricing:
Drivers visiting the Big Apple and entering Manhattan below 60th Street will now have to pay a fee. This fee is known as congestion pricing and aims to reduce gridlock and pollution and raise revenue for the city’s transit system.
How much will congestion pricing raise:
According to the MTA website, congestion pricing hopes to raise $15 billion for capital improvements to the MTA network.
Where will I be tolled:
Drivers will be tolled upon entry to local streets and avenues below, including 60th Street in Manhattan.
Are there a lot of cars in New York City:
About two million cars are registered in New York City, according to New York City’s GreenDivided.
Can I take a taxi or Uber to avoid congestion pricing:
Passengers in taxis and for-hire vehicles will have a per-trip surcharge added to their fares for rides to, from, within, or through what is known as the Congestion Relief Zone. That charge is 75 cents for people taking taxis, green cabs, and black cars and $1.50 for Uber or Lyft passengers.
Where did this come from?
Congestion pricing has long existed in other cities around the globe, including London, Stockholm, Milan, and Singapore, but New York is the first U.S. city to adopt it.
It's been floated in New York for years. Then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg suggested such a scheme in 2007, and state lawmakers approved the concept in 2019. However, it has run into opposition and legal challenges from politicians, commuters, and commercial drivers. This week, a federal judge rejected the state of New Jersey's 11th-hour effort to block the toll temporarily.
The plan stalled while awaiting a required federal environmental review during Donald Trump's first presidential administration, and it was finally set to go into effect earlier this year — with a heftier $15 toll — but Hochul, a Democrat, abruptly halted it weeks before the launch, arguing it was too expensive.
She put forward the latest plan with a lower fee in November, shortly after Trump was elected to another term, with the Republican having vowed to stop it after he returns to office on Jan. 20.
When does congestion pricing start:
January 5, 2025
This story comprises reporting from the Associated Press and PIX11 News reporters Greg Mocker and Dominique Jack.
Matthew Euzarraga is a multimedia journalist from El Paso, Texas. He has covered local news and LGBTQIA topics in the New York City Metro area since 2021. He joined the PIX11 Digital team in 2023. You can see more of his work here.