Driving to Manhattan? Congestion pricing means you may need to pay $15 starting June 30

Start date for so-called congestion pricing — Most drivers will be charged a $15 fee to enter Manhattan’s central business district— will be on June 30, transportation officials said Friday.

Under the congestion pricing plan, a $15 fee will be applied to most drivers entering Manhattan south of 60th Street during daylight hours. Fees will be higher for larger vehicles and lower for night entry into the city as well as for motorcycles.

The program, which was approved by the New York State Legislature in 2019, is supposed to raise $1 billion annually to fund public transportation for the city’s 4 million daily riders.

“More than ninety percent of people come to the congestion area, the central business district, to walk, bike, and most of all to use mass transit,” Jano Lieber, CEO of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, told WABC. “We are a mass transit city and we will work to improve our presence in New York.”

Supporters say that in addition to raising money for buses and subways, congestion pricing would reduce pollution and discourage driving in Manhattan. Opponents say the fees would be a burden on passengers and would increase the prices of basic goods transported to the city by truck.

The state of New Jersey has sued over its congestion pricing plan, and it would be the first of its kind in the United States.

Lieber said he is “very optimistic” about how the lawsuit will be resolved in New Jersey.

Congestion pricing will begin at 12:01 a.m. on June 30, so the first drivers will be charged $3.75 late at night, Lieber said. The $15 fee will apply at 9am

Low-income drivers can apply for a congestion toll discount on the MTA website, and people with disabilities can apply for exemptions.