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RIDESHARE passengers should take a closer look at their receipts come January.
Thanks to a new congestion pricing law, Uber, Lyft, and taxi passengers are about to pay more to ride.
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Most vehicles will be forced to pay the $9 toll under New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s newly passed bill targeting riders entering the Congestion Relief Zone, which extends south of 60th Street near Central Park in Manhattan.
And rideshare vehicles aren’t exempt.
But luckily, the fee will be less for those riders.
Uber and Lyft passengers will have a $1.50 per ride surcharge added to their total.
READ MORE ON CONGESTION BILL
Taxi passengers will pay even less at $.75 per ride.
Other vehicles will also have to pay up – and some even more than the standard $9.
Trucks will be forced to fork out between $14.40 and $21.60 depending on the time of day and size of the vehicle.
Drivers passing through the congestion zone during peak hours via Manhattan tunnels will receive a discount of up to $3.
Tolls will be higher on weekdays between 5 am and 9 pm and on weekends from 9 am to 9 pm.
Outside of those peak hours, the fee will be about 75% cheaper.
And drivers passing through the borough on the FDR and West Side Highway will be exempt.
Drivers will be billed with their E-ZPass.
But those without will receive a mailed bill – and likely with higher tolls as a result.
The changes will start on January 5, 2025.
Funds raised from the tolls will go toward restoring and improving subways and buses.
What is New York City’s congestion pricing program?
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is the agency overseeing the congestion fee.
A hefty toll will be charged on drivers entering much of traffic-choked Manhattan in a US-first.
Most drivers in private cars, including locals and tourists, heading into Manhattan south of Central Park will pay about $9 during the daytime.
Congestion pricing opt-out:
But an estimated 26,000 drivers are exempt from the tolls.
The city’s fleet of vehicles – including police cars, first responders, and parks and recreation vehicles – will not be charged to use lower Manhattan roads.
Bus drivers contracted with the education department will also avoid the fees.
The toll does not apply to drivers on FDR Drive, West Side Highway, or the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel connecting to West Street.
But public employees who drive passenger cars to work will pay the tolls.
Hochul’s plan faced several trials and tribulations before it passed the finish line.
Originally slated to go into effect on June 30, 2024, the toll was then priced at $15 per vehicle.
The MTA originally had more of a range of toll options, which included deviations for motorcyclists and drivers at night.
President-elect Donald Trump has openly opposed the congestion pricing.
He has even announced a plan to terminate the toll when he takes office in January.
But it’s not clear if, or when, that would happen.
