Cars to pay $9 below 60th Street
Passenger cars entering Manhattan below 60th Street will pay a $9 toll beginning Jan. 5 under a revived program to reduce congestion and generate billions for capital projects, including Metro-North stations in Beacon and Philipstown.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s board approved its “congestion-pricing” plan on Nov. 18, five months after Gov. Kathy Hochul ordered the plan suspended amid backlash over the $15 initial fare.
The new starting rate will apply to passenger cars and small commercial vehicles such as vans during peak hours and drop to $2.25 after 9 p.m. Those rates will rise to $12 daily and $3 overnight in 2028, and then to $15 and $3.75 in 2031. Motorcyclists will initially pay $4.50 and commercial trucks and buses from $14.40 to $21.60.
The program includes discounts, including for low-income drivers, and exemptions for school buses and emergency vehicles.
Supporters of the toll say it will reduce traffic congestion in lower Manhattan and raise $15 billion for new buses and trains, station upgrades and other capital projects.
According to an analysis by the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, the toll will affect 2 percent of Putnam County commuters and 1.1 percent in Dutchess.
