NYC Congestion Pricing Goes Into Effect

The long-awaited congestion pricing program began on January 5.

2 minute read

January 6, 2025, 6:00 AM PST

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


View of traffic on bridge going into Manhattan, New York City at night.

BullRun / Adobe Stock

New York City’s congestion pricing program is now in effect (you can trace the saga of the controversial program on Planetizen’s archives), and Dave Colon of Streetsblog NYC has all the facts you need to know as a, NYC driver or resident.

As Colon explains, “At the most basic level, the toll to drive into the area of Manhattan below 60th Street has a peak period from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The remaining hours are considered the ‘overnight’ period.”

The cost to enter the congestion pricing zone varies for passenger cars, small trucks and charter buses, tractor trailers, intercity buses and school buses, tour buses, motorcycles, yellow or green cabs, and ride-hailing service vehicles. Costs for passenger vehicles are $2.25 off-peak and $9 at peak hours. Tolls are roughly 50 percent higher for drivers without at E-Z Pass.

Colon reminds readers that the $9 toll was lowered from a proposed $15 rate, and that “The vast majority of people who get into the central business district use transit — and those who drive are, on average, wealthier than their transit-using neighbors.”

Congestion pricing is expected to raise $500 million per year, funds that will go toward public transit in the region. As Colon notes, “In the world of big money borrowing, congestion pricing is a totally separate and new revenue stream from the MTA's normal fare- and toll-backed revenues that the agency has used to pay off its bonds. Congestion pricing is that rarest of things in politics: a reliable revenue stream.”

Sunday, January 5, 2025 in StreetsBlog NYC

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 9, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Map of Haussmann's redesign of Paris in the 1850s through 1870s under Napoleon III.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking

Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

June 30, 2025 - Tom Sanchez

Green bike share bikes parked in a row on a commercial street with outdoor dining and greenery.

Making Shared Micromobility More Inclusive

Cities and shared mobility system operators can do more to include people with disabilities in planning and operations, per a new report.

15 minutes ago - Cities Today

View from inside car's driver seat while driving.

Car Designs Make it Harder to See Pedestrians

Blind spots created by thicker pillars built to withstand rollover crashes are creating dangerous conditions for people outside vehicles.

1 hour ago - Bloomberg CityLab

Red and white "Wildfire Evacuation Route" sign on signpost.

Cal Fire Chatbot Fails to Answer Basic Questions

An AI chatbot designed to provide information about wildfires can’t answer questions about evacuation orders, among other problems.

July 10 - The Markup

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

Home and Land Services Coordinator

Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners

Associate/Senior Planner

Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development

Senior Planner

Heyer Gruel & Associates PA