Congestion area map of Manhattan in New York

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), which supports a 5,000-square-mile travel area including New York City, has announced that Congestion Tolls in Manhattan will begin on June 30, 2024. This program is expected to reduce vehicle gridlock, with 100,000 fewer vehicles entering what MTA has defined as the “most congested district” in the United States.  

Affected Congestion Relief Zone areas in Manhattan’s central business district that will be charged a toll include streets south of and including 60th Street. Areas excluded from the Congestion Tolls are FDR Drive, West Side Highway/Route 9A, and the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel connections to West Street. 

PrePass customers who are equipped with a tolling device will be covered; the city of New York will also issue license plate tolls for drivers without a device at a higher rate. Customers who don’t have an E-ZPass enabled PrePass device will receive a Tolls by Mail bill to the registered vehicle owner.  

Why Congestion Pricing?  

Cities have recently looked to Congestion Tolls to help reduce vehicle traffic, improve travel times and help reduce vehicle emissions. Safety also figures into this equation, as fewer vehicles may be able to operate more safely than high-traffic areas. Money raised from such a tolling program could be put towards other transport-related infrastructures.  

An example of a city that has instituted a similar Congestion Tolls program is London. Their Central London Congestion Charging in central London is a fee charged on most cars and motor vehicles in the Congestion Charge Zone between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday to Friday, and between 12:00 noon and 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The City Monitor publication reported that this program reduced traffic by 15 percent and congestion by 30 percent. 

Impact on Fleets 

The financial impact on fleets includes time of day pricing as well as vehicle-based pricing. Visit MTA to view pricing details.  

  • Peak driving periods = 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. Monday through Friday, and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.  
  • Vehicle charges during peak driving = Small trucks will be charged $24 while large trucks will be charged $36.  

Route planning in areas with congestion pricing, such as in NYC, mean fleets will have to add congestion tolling costs into their customer pricing. It’s also an excellent reason to contact PrePass today to learn how your fleet can maximize their operating costs by creating a tolling program.