Governor Kathy Hochul on Thursday announced a plan to implement congestion pricing in New York City by early January.
The governor’s new plan places tolls for vehicles entering the city’s Central Business District, or below 60th Street in Manhattan, at $9, according to a press release.
“As I said from the start, a $15 toll was just too high in this economic climate," Hochul said. "By getting congestion pricing underway and fully supporting the MTA capital plan, we’ll unclog our streets, reduce pollution and deliver better public transit for millions of New Yorkers.”
The toll would stay at $9 from 2025 through 2027, and then would increase to $12 from 2028 through 2030.
Specific tolls are as follows:
- Passenger vehicles (once per day): $9
- Motorcycles (once per day): $4.50
- Small trucks and non-commuter buses: $14.40
- Large trucks and sightseeing buses: $21.60
- Taxis and black cars: $0.75
- App-based for-hire vehicles: $1.50
She added that additional discounts will be available for low-income drivers making less than $50,000 annually, who will receive a 50% discount after their tenth toll each month.
The governor said the new toll structure will still enable the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to float $15 billion in bonds for the transit agency's current capital program. The money would go towards building out the Second Avenue subway line to East Harlem, modernizing the signal system on the A/C and B/D/F/M lines, make stations ADA compliant and add hundreds of electric buses.
“New Yorkers deserve cleaner air, safer streets and ambulances that can get to them without gridlock, and the governor is stepping up for them and for riders who need trains and buses to get them where they have to go," said MTA Chair and Chief Executive Officer Janno Lieber.
