MTA Votes 12–1 in Favor of NYC Congestion Pricing With $9 Tolls

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks in Chicago on Aug. 19, 2024. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

NEW YORK—After a public hearing, the board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has voted 12–1 to approve New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s decision last week to implement congestion pricing, with $9 tolls instead of the $15 originally envisioned, beginning in January 2025.

Starting on Jan. 5, commuters who drive into Manhattan below 60th Street will pay a $9 toll. This rate will be in effect through 2027, after which the fare will increase to $12 through the end of 2030.

Beginning in 2031, the toll will be $15—the amount congestion pricing advocates originally wanted to charge as soon as the policy went into effect.

The toll will drop to $2.25 at night (9 p.m.–5 a.m. on weekdays and 9 p.m.–9 a.m. on weekends). The governor has also promised discounts for commuters who earn under $50,000 per year after their 10th trip in a month.

In theory, the new tolls will enable the city to qualify for the issuance of $15 billion worth of bonds that will finance far-reaching, long-delayed upgrades to its transit system, including a new Second Avenue subway line, new electric signals, the purchase of electric buses, refurbishment of subway infrastructure, and the addition of more elevators to expand access for disabled persons.

Advocates say the policy will also relieve environmental pollution because people will bike and walk to work instead of driving.

“Congestion pricing will bring safer streets, cleaner air, faster buses, and billions in funding for public transportation,” Elizabeth Adams, interim co-executive director for the grassroots advocacy group Transportation Alternatives, said in a statement.

However, Hochul herself acknowledged at a press conference in June that families struggling with inflation may find added daily tolls exorbitant. Five prominent Republicans in the House of Representatives last week sent a letter to President-elect Donald Trump criticizing congestion pricing as part of an “oppressive taxation regime” and urging him to take action against the policy.

On Thursday, the governor’s announcement of her decision to remove the pause she placed on congestion pricing back in June sparked controversy. Politicians representing districts where a large number of people commute into Manhattan daily registered strong disapproval of a policy they say their constituents can ill afford.

Some also criticized the idea that the MTA should take high daily tolls from commuters when other municipalities in the region have their own acute funding needs.

In a local news interview, Janno Lieber, chair and CEO of the MTA, argued that the business community supports congestion pricing because it knows how much time traffic jams tend to eat up and said that the policy will not add too much of a burden for lower-income commuters, who may avail themselves of discounts.

Lieber said it was largely Trump supporters who opposed congestion pricing.

“Obviously, there are a lot of MAGA politicians around Trump, including, unfortunately, maybe even some folks from New York who are pushing against this,” Lieber said.

Lieber suggested that the timing of the move was no accident, saying that it was important to approve and enact the policy before Trump takes office and potentially halts congestion pricing.

“I believe that if Donald Trump looked at this, he has office buildings that are filled with people who ride transit 90 percent of the time, so I think he probably will get it. But one of the reasons we want to move this along is to make sure that the politics of the change in Washington does not become a hindrance to this,” Lieber stated.

Neither Lieber nor Hochul responded to requests for comment by publication time.