Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
MTA sees green with congestion pricing, as tolls bring in $100M during first 2 months
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Published Mar 24, 2025
Modified Mar 24, 2025
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Published Mar 24, 2025
Modified Mar 24, 2025
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MTA data published Monday shows the agency collected nearly $52 million from drivers through its congestion pricing tolls in February, the same month President Donald Trump decreed the program should be scuttled while comparing himself to a king.
The haul means the MTA raked in just over $100 million through congestion pricing between its launch on Jan. 5 and the end of February. The agency reported it spent a combined $23 million on expenses to run the tolls over the same period.
The MTA is required by state law to use the money from the tolls to finance $15 billion in crucial transit repairs, as well as expansion projects like the next leg of the Second Avenue subway in East Harlem.
The cost of congestion pricing
The MTA’s congestion pricing tolls went live on Jan. 5. Here are key aspects of the tolling scheme south of 60th Street in Manhattan:
- A $9 fee on passenger vehicles from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends
- A 75% discount for all vehicles during the overnight hours, putting the after-hours toll at $2.25.
- A $14.40 toll for smaller trucks, such as box trucks.
- A $21.60 toll for large trucks, including big rigs.
- A $4.50 toll for motorcyclists.
- Yellow and green taxis receive an additional 75-cent surcharge.
- For-hire vehicles such as Uber and Lyft receive an additional $1.50 surcharge.
- Taxis and app-based for-hire vehicles pass the cost of the tolls onto passengers.
- Drivers who do not use E-ZPass when entering the congestion zone will pay an extra 50%.
“We have created a novel new revenue stream that is 100% dedicated to the capital improvements neccessary for this region, and bit by bit we are meeting our commitments," MTA board member Neal Zuckerman said during a committee meeting after the new figures were published.
The money for the transit improvemetns still hangs in the balance. After initially giving the MTA a March 21 deadline to shut down congestion pricing, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy last week issued a 30-day extension. The MTA also has a pending federal lawsuit against Duffy that seeks to invalidate his order to kill the tolls.
On Feb. 19, Trump declared the tolls dead, writing “LONG LIVE THE KING” in a social media post after Duffy issued his directive to turn off the cameras. Gov. Kathy Hochul has since met with Trump to negotiate over federal funding for the MTA, including the future of congestion pricing and upgrades to Penn Station.
All the while, transit officials have repeatedly said the tolls have drastically reduced gridlock in Manhattan. Since the program launched, the MTA reports travel times decreased for drivers by 10% to 30% on all crossings into the congestion zone. NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow said the charges also corresponded with a 4% increase in bus speeds over the last month.
Tagged
new york city
manhattan
donald trump
Politics
transportation
Ramsey Khalifeh
Ramsey Khalifeh is a transportation reporter on the NYC Accountability desk covering the largest transit system in the country. He was previously a general assignment reporter at Gothamist and worked on the Boston Globe's metro and copy desk. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Central Park birders, others remember 63-year-old woman killed in park
People who said they knew her described her as an artist and a familiar presence in the Ramble.
By
Charles Lane
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 7:04 p.m. ET
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
News
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .