NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Congestion pricing has been in place for over a week in New York City, and the MTA on Monday released initial data showing that fewer vehicles entered the Central Business District in Manhattan during that time, and that overall traffic has decreased.
“If you average out the number of entries made into the CBD last week from Monday to Friday, 7.5% fewer vehicles entered,” the MTA’s deputy chief of policy and external relations Juliette Michaelson said at a press conference.
The nation’s first-of-its-kind congestion relief program—which charges most drivers $9 to enter Manhattan below 60th Street during peak hours—went into effect on Jan. 5, and the MTA said that about 273,000 fewer cars entered the toll zone during the first work week of its implementation.
Traveling between Manhattan and New Jersey via the George Washington Bridge, Lincoln Tunnel and Holland Tunnel now takes 30% to 40% less time, according to the MTA.
The greatest improvements have been seen on inbound river crossings, specifically during the morning commuter and afternoon peak, the numbers show.
According to data provided by TRANSCOM regarding morning commutes on Jan. 8, nearly all crossings saw a 39% reduction in travel time from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. when compared to the same day in 2024. East-west streets also saw travel time improvements, with reductions ranging from 6% to 36% in the afternoon peak of 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
“The early data backs up what New Yorkers have been telling us all week—traffic is down, the streets feel safer, and buses are moving faster,” MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said. “Positive change wasn’t guaranteed, and it’s exciting to hear commuters—including drivers—talking about how much time they are saving since the program kicked off a week ago.”
Buses moved faster during congestion pricing’s first week, with routes that cross the East or Hudson River into Manhattan seeing the greatest reduction in travel time.
While the MTA said that the toll has likely incentivized a number of drivers to switch to transit, the data is not yet clear because the MTA system is so large and already carries the majority of people who commute into Manhattan. However, bus ridership from neighborhoods with a disproportionate number of drivers seems to have increased.
“Bus ridership has seen the strongest comeback since the pandemic and now we’re seeing slight ridership increases on express bus routes which goes to show how integral buses are to New York’s transit system,” NYC Transit senior vice president of buses Frank Annicaro said. “Less cars on the road improves bus service reliability for the hundreds of thousands of riders that rely on bus service every day.”
Subway ridership saw a slight uptick when compared to this time last year, with an average of 3.7 million riders from Monday through Thursday of last week. There were about 3.47 million riders on the same weekdays in 2024.
Long Island Rail Road president Rob Free and Metro-North Railroad president Catherine Rinaldi pointed to record-breaking on-time performances of 95.65% and 98%, respectively, and encouraged drivers to make the switch to transit to contribute to the early positive trends that have come as a result of congestion pricing.
Because different vehicles pay different tolls under the congestion pricing plan, the MTA has not yet been able to calculate the revenue the program has brought in for the transit authority.
Staten Island and Brooklyn Rep. Nicole Malliotakis was one of several Republicans who met with President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago over the weekend to discuss taxes, and she is determined to bring arguments against congestion pricing to the federal level in order to reverse the tax.
“President Trump understands how congestion pricing will negatively impact New York City’s economy and the middle-class families we represent,” Malliotakis told 1010 WINS on Sunday. “He wants to try to fix it from the federal level because our governor refuses to stop it.”