New York officials and organizations have hit out at reports that the Trump Administration is considering a move to halt the congestion pricing toll for motorists entering Manhattan south of 60th Street.
The New York Times reported Thursday afternoon that the Department of Transportation is considering a move to halt a key federal authorization that congestion pricing received from the Biden Administration last year, reporting that such a move could spark a legal battle between state and federal government and effectively stop congestion pricing in its tracks.
Riders Alliance, a non-profit advocating for public transport in New York City that strongly supported congestion pricing, said the toll has proved successful since it was launched on Jan. 5 and said scrapping congestion pricing would negatively impact millions of New Yorkers.
“Congestion relief is a big success, impresses more and more people every day, and has already won a string of decisive court victories. Eliminating the program would kill hundreds of thousands of infrastructure jobs and make millions of commuters late to work again,” Riders Alliance Policy & Communications Director Danny Pearlstein said.
City Comptroller Brad Lander, who is challenging Mayor Eric Adams in the 2025 mayoral election, said Trump would be forcing New Yorkers to have “dirtier air, more traffic, and crappier subways” should he scrap congestion pricing.
“New Yorkers pushed to implement congestion pricing before Trump took office—let’s not pump the brakes on this program now,” Lander said.
The MTA, meanwhile, pointed to recent congestion pricing data, which states that the toll has resulted in one million fewer vehicles entering the congestion relief zone since the toll was implemented in early January. The data further stated that travel times are 10-30% faster at inbound river crossings since congestion pricing was introduced, while bus riders are experiencing faster and more reliable service.
Furthermore, the MTA noted that weekend express bus ridership has grown by more than 20% since congestion pricing launched on Jan. 5.
“Before the start of congestion relief, talk of lawsuits and doubts dominated the conversation, but now it’s the undeniably positive results we’ve been seeing since week one,” MTA CEO Janno Lieber said in a statement. “Better bus service, faster drive times and safer streets are good for all New Yorkers.”
‘Music to our ears’
On the other hand, Council Member Robert Holden, representing Council District 30, welcomed reports that Trump is considering a move to halt congestion pricing, describing the toll as a “scam.”
“The congestion scam tax must come to an end, and this latest development is music to our ears,” Holden said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “We all hope the new federal government makes it happen.”
Prior to taking office, Trump had promised to “terminate” congestion pricing in his first week in office and has described the tax as “the most regressive tax known to womankind” in a nod to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s efforts to implement the measure. Trump further warned that congestion pricing would “put New York City at a disadvantage over competing cities and states, and businesses will flee”.
Meanwhile, CBS News reports that Trump and Hochul have spoken twice in the last week about congestion pricing.
Hochul has made the case that congestion pricing is making a positive impact in New York City, informing the President that the toll is raising funds for the city’s transit system as well as reducing traffic on the streets, according to CBS. Hochul’s office has not yet responded to a request for comment.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a strong critic of congestion pricing, penned a letter to Trump on the day he was inaugurated on Jan. 20 urging the president to halt the toll and describing the measure as “a disaster for working- and middle-class New Jersey commuters and residents.”
Congestion pricing, which went into effect on Jan. 5, charges drivers a $9 base toll to enter Manhattan on streets and crossings south of and including 60th Street. The program is designed to reduce traffic congestion and generate revenue to fund improvements to the MTA’s subway, bus and commuter rail system.
