Transit & Streets Reviewed July 2026
How congestion pricing actually works now
Nine dollars to bring a car into Manhattan below 60th Street at peak, a quarter of that overnight, cameras instead of booths, and a schedule that ratchets to $15 by 2031. The toll, from the MTA's own page.
The numbers that matter
- The zone
- Local streets and avenues in Manhattan south of and including 60th Street, excluding the FDR Drive, West Side Highway/Route 9A, and the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel connections to West Street (MTA Congestion Relief Zone tolling page, read July 2026)
- The toll (cars)
- $9 peak with E-ZPass, $2.25 overnight, charged once per day; motorcycles pay half (MTA Congestion Relief Zone tolling page, read July 2026)
- Peak hours
- 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekends; overnight is 75% off (MTA Congestion Relief Zone tolling page, read July 2026)
- The phase-in
- $9 now, $12 in 2028, $15 in 2031 (MTA Congestion Relief Zone tolling page, read July 2026)
The zone and the hours
Get the map right first, because the toll is about entering local streets, not passing by on the highways:
The Congestion Relief Zone includes local streets and avenues in Manhattan south of and including 60 Street, excluding the FDR Drive, West Side Highway/Route 9A, and the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel connections to West Street.
Stay on the FDR or the West Side Highway end to end and you owe nothing. Turn one block inland below 60th and the cameras have you.
The peak period toll rate applies from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays, and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends. The overnight toll rates are 75% less than the respective rates in the standard peak period for all drivers entering the Congestion Relief Zone.
Sixteen tolled hours on weekdays. The overnight discount is the system saying the toll is about congestion, not just revenue: an empty 3 a.m. avenue costs a quarter the price.
What each vehicle pays
The headline number is the car toll, and it comes with the clause that makes zone life livable:
The toll for passenger and small commercial vehicles (sedans, SUVs, pick-up trucks, and small vans) paying with a valid E-ZPass is $9 during the peak period and $2.25 during the overnight period, when there is less congestion. The toll for motorcycles is $4.50 during the peak period and $1.05 during the overnight period. These vehicles are charged only once per day.
Once per day is the mercy clause: leave and re-enter all you like, the meter ran once. No E-ZPass costs more; the mail-a-bill rates run higher.
Small trucks (single-unit trucks) and some buses pay a toll of $14.40 during the peak period and $3.60 during the overnight period. Large trucks (multi-unit trucks) and tour buses pay a toll of $21.60 during the peak period and $5.40 during the overnight period.
Trucks pay per entry, not per day, which is why overnight delivery windows suddenly interest every logistics manager in the region.
Taxis and app rides skip the daily toll entirely; their version rides on the fare:
Instead of paying the daily toll, taxis and for-hire vehicles licensed with the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission are eligible for a smaller per-trip charge paid by the passenger for each trip to, from, within, or through the Congestion Relief Zone. For both the peak and overnight period, the per-trip charge for high-volume for-hire vehicles is $1.50. For taxis, green cabs, and black cars, the per-trip charge is $0.75.
That is the line on your receipt: $1.50 on an Uber or Lyft, 75 cents in a yellow cab, every trip touching the zone, no daily cap. The passenger pays, by design.
The tunnel discount
Drivers who already paid a tunnel toll to reach Manhattan get partial credit, but only through the four tolled tubes:
A credit reduces Congestion Relief Zone tolls for vehicles using a valid E-ZPass and entering during the peak period via one of the four tolled entries: Lincoln Tunnel, Holland Tunnel, Queens-Midtown Tunnel, and Hugh L. Carey Tunnel. The credit amount is up to $3 for passenger vehicles, up to $1.50 for motorcycles, up to $7.20 for small trucks and charter buses, and up to $12 for large trucks and tour buses.
Tunnels earn credit; the free East River bridges do not, and neither does anything overnight. A peak car trip through the Queens-Midtown Tunnel nets out at $6 for the zone toll.
Where the schedule goes next
This is a ramp, not a set-and-forget toll:
The MTA is phasing in the toll structure over a six-year period with an initial $9 peak toll for cars. The toll will increase to $12 in 2028 and then $15 in 2031.
The point was never the $9. The toll backs borrowing for the MTA's capital program, the signals, elevators, and cars, which is why the schedule ratchets up on a timetable rather than waiting on anyone's political appetite.
For why the MTA needed a new revenue stream at all, read where the MTA's money actually comes from; for what that capital money buys underground, how the subway decides service; and for the state authority that runs the whole tolling apparatus, who runs the subway, buses, and LIRR.
The questions New Yorkers actually ask
How much is the congestion toll right now?
With E-ZPass: $9 peak and $2.25 overnight for cars, SUVs, pickups, and small vans, charged once per day. Motorcycles pay $4.50 and $1.05. Small trucks pay $14.40 peak, large trucks and tour buses $21.60, per entry. Peak runs 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekends.
Do I pay the toll if I stay on the FDR or West Side Highway?
No. The zone is the local streets and avenues of Manhattan south of and including 60th Street; the FDR Drive, the West Side Highway/Route 9A, and the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel connections to West Street are excluded. You are tolled only when you enter the local street grid.
Do taxi and Uber passengers pay congestion pricing?
Yes, as a per-trip charge on the fare instead of the daily toll: $0.75 for taxis, green cabs, and black cars, and $1.50 for high-volume for-hire vehicles like Uber and Lyft, on every trip to, from, within, or through the zone, with no once-a-day cap.
Will the congestion toll go up?
Yes, on a published schedule: the car peak toll rises from $9 to $12 in 2028 and to $15 in 2031, with the other vehicle classes phased up alongside. The revenue backs the MTA's capital program borrowing.
The documents
The public records this page draws on. Read them yourself:
Now watch the machinery move.
These pages explain how the city works on paper. The morning brief is how it worked today: what changed, what it means for your rent, your commute, and your block, in plain language.
Free to start. The unsubscribe link actually works.