Commuters grumble, MTA reports 'no hiccups' on congestion pricing's first rush hour

New York's congestion pricing program made it through its first work day with nary a "hiccup," according to the MTA's chief, even as many rush hour commuters by both car and rail continued to lambast the new tolling plan as a "cash grab" that will hurt working families.

A day after the Metropolitan Transportation Authority formally switched on its Central Business District Tolling Program, the first-in-the-nation congestion pricing program was put to its first real test on Monday, when hundreds of thousands of vehicles entered the "congestion relief zone" below 60th Street in Manhattan. Most were hit with a new toll ranging from $9 for most passenger vehicles to $32.40 for large trucks without E-ZPass.

The disdain for the new tolls was consistent among several motorists who rolled down their window to talk to a Newsday reporter upon emerging Monday morning from the Queens-Midtown Tunnel in Manhattan, and being met with new signs that read "BEGIN TOLL ZONE."

One called the plan "very unfair." Another called "terrible." Long Islander George Yang, called it "a little bit ridiculous."

Bogdan Wojtczak, 64, a general contractor, called the new fee "horrible" after driving into midtown from his home in City Island, Bronx. Wojtczak said because he travels "uptown, downtown ... It’s going to be a fortune a week. It’s no good."

Even Long Islanders who commute to Manhattan by train, rather than by car, grumbled over the new tolls, including Brightwaters resident Carmine Ciappetta, who said he's "never considered driving" to his Manhattan accounting job, "because of the traffic."

"It’s probably going to create more issues on mass transit because more people may consider taking it," Ciappetta said upon arriving at Grand Central Madison on the Long Island Rail Road. "I think it’s a money grab. I’m not sure it’s going to cure the problem."

Still, some drivers who paid the new tolls Monday said they didn't object to them.

"We’re all part of the same community, so if the subway is getting benefit from this, I’m OK with it," said Albert Fer, an administrator for a financial services company in midtown who lives in Queens near the Throgs Neck Bridge. "It’s not going to reduce traffic, of that I’m sure. Everybody who uses a car is still going to use it."

MTA chairman and chief executive Janno Lieber, speaking to Bloomberg Radio Monday, continued to tout the new tolling plan as a major victory for New York in its effort to become "a 21st century city where we don't spend all our time in traffic." Lieber said that there were "absolutely no hiccups at all whatsoever" so far in the new tolling program in a Monday morning interview with NY1 Spectrum News.

Whether congestion pricing actually had any impact on Manhattan's congestion problem in its first weekday was unclear. Initial findings from transportation data and analytics firm INRIX showed traffic speeds in Manhattan were a bit slower on Monday when compared with the first non-holiday Monday in January 2024.

But INRIX transportation analyst Bob Pishue, in an email to Newsday, said it was "a bit too early to truly know the effects" of congestion pricing in New York.

"For all we know, the slower speeds could be due to the snow in NYC today or a variety of other random factors," Pishue said. "Once there is a larger sample size, we’ll have a more definitive idea on how congestion pricing has affected NYC traffic."

Lieber, in his Bloomberg Radio interview, said "it’s going to take a little while" to realize the benefits of the new tolls, which aims to reduce traffic, improve air quality, and generate funding for transit infrastructure investments. Lieber pledged "total transparency" by the MTA, which is planning to create an online "dashboard" with stats on how many vehicles are entering Manhattan as to compared to before the tolls were enacted.

"I don’t expect to see some dramatic change on the first or the second day," Lieber said. "Over time, we expect to get a 10- to 20% reduction in traffic. That’s what we’re shooting for."

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday also urged New Yorkers to have patience, and acknowledged "change is hard." She said that traffic appeared light in Manhattan Monday, but acknowledged that may have had more to do with the poor weather.

"The benefits are going to come from the improvements in the [transit] system, which requires the money to be amassed over time," Hochul said. "These are going to take time. But you know what? It wouldn't have happened if you couldn't turn on this switch."

The new toll revenue will go toward financing $15 billion in infrastructure projects in the MTA’s 2020-24 capital budget. Eighty percent will go to the New York City Transit bus and subway system, and 20% will be split evenly between the MTA’s two commuter railroads, Metro-North and the Long Island Rail Road.

Still, many commuters on Monday weren’t buying the promises of unclogged streets and a windfall of transit funding. Although John Tsantas, 57, of Bayside, Queens, came to work Monday on the LIRR, he said he and his wife occasionally drive into the city, and the additional toll would add to their budget.

"I think when they started this, they went about it not thinking it completely through," said Tsantas, also pointing out that some motorists avoid transit because of safety or other concerns. "What are all these people going to do who can't take public transportation like firefighters and teachers? It's an inconvenience and they may need to adjust their salaries."

James Brosi, president of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association, which represents FDNY lieutenants and captains and others, said Sunday that portion of Manhattan subject to the new tolls is at "the greatest risk of a terrorist activity," and noted the department has around 100 vacancies in the area.

For all the negativity among motorists having to pay the new $9 base toll, which is set to rise to $15 by 2031, there was also plentiful praise among congestion pricing supporters. Danny Pearlstein, spokesman for the Riders Alliance, a transit advocacy group, said, even if it does take a while to realize all the benefits, congestion pricing is a "win-win from day one."

"Drivers in Manhattan are supporting the public transit system that makes our city and suburbs thrive," Pearlstein said. "Either drivers cut congestion, pollution and collisions, or pay for an essential service."

The full-scale launch of congestion pricing followed decades of debate, years of planning, and more than $600 million spent by the MTA on the effort. It also came amid several pending legal challenges that sought to stop the plan before the first toll could be charged.

"Getting this program off the ground was an enormous task, but keeping it going remains daunting," Lisa Daglian, executive director of the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA, which includes the LIRR Commuter Council, said in a statement Monday. "We will remain vigilant to ensure the program runs smoothly and transparently and that the funds raised benefit riders as effectively as possible."

Plan opponents’ mission now shifts from preventing congestion pricing to dismantling it. Hempstead Town Supervisor Don Clavin said he is undeterred by the launch of the tolling plan. His town has filed two lawsuits challenging congestion pricing, and has a federal court hearing on one of them next week.

"It’s very simple. You just turn it off," said Clavin, who hopes a positive ruling in one of his lawsuits could send the tolling program for further review by a U.S. Department of Transportation led by incoming President Donald Trump — also a congestion pricing opponent.

Taxi and app-based drivers also on Monday expressed dismay over the tolls, even though they aren’t directly paying them. Instead, congestion pricing is being borne by their passengers in the form of added fees on trips — 75 cents for cabs and $1.50 for on app-based for-hire vehicles like Uber.

Lyft is crediting riders the $1.50 for the month of January that can be used on a Citi Bike or another Lyft ride through the following week, according to the company's website.

Although he arrived in Manhattan Monday on a LIRR train, Garden City resident Terry Tener said the MTA’s efforts to discourage people from driving into Manhattan could have the unintended consequence of keeping them out of the city altogether.

"I think it will just motivate people to work remotely," said Tener, 78.