MTA plans congestion pricing exemptions for thousands of buses, NYC municipal vehicles

Published Mar 25, 2024 at 4:21 p.m. ET

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Published Mar 25, 2024 at 4:21 p.m. ET

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Roughly 11,000 New York City school buses, nearly 15,000 municipal vehicles — as well as commuter buses with regular schedules — are slated to be exempt from Manhattan's incoming congestion pricing tolls, MTA and city officials said Monday.

The three groups are the latest, and likely final, classes of vehicles to get a pass from the charges, which the MTA board plans to finalize on Wednesday.

The board in December approved a $15 daytime charge for the program, which will toll motorists who drive south of 60th Street in Manhattan. The approval triggered a 60-day review process that included another round of public hearings.

During the course of the review, Mayor Eric Adams’ office pushed for the school bus and municipal vehicle exemptions, according to mayoral spokesperson Liz Garcia.

“Congestion pricing is here, and we are glad that this plan will deliver for working-class New Yorkers,” Garcia said. “As a result of our advocacy, we’ve secured discounts for low-income New Yorkers and shift workers, exemptions for school buses and essential city vehicles.

While the city has more than 30,000 vehicles in its fleet, the mayor’s office confirmed less than half of those meet the criteria for exemptions. Officials said examples of city vehicles to be exempt from the tolls include those used for agency duties like a Department of Buildings inspector following up on a 311 complaint, a case worker with Administration for Children's Services visiting a family or a city planner going to a work site.

MTA Chair Janno Lieber in December raised concerns that school buses could be rented as “party buses” during off hours, which could make it hard to exempt them from the tolls only while they're operating for the education department. City officials on Monday said school buses are hardly ever rented out for private parties and the MTA plans to exempt them from the tolls.

The MTA’s Traffic Mobility Review Board — which was formed to recommend the toll prices and any exemptions for the program — in December said intercity buses like Greyhound, Megabus and the Hampton Jitney should not be exempt from the tolls. But MTA officials on Monday said those bus companies won’t have to pay if they provide regularly scheduled services that are open to the public.

“The MTA will bring congestion pricing toll rates to a vote this week, tied closely to Traffic Mobility Review Board recommendations, with certain clarifications that include items raised by the City of New York and others,” MTA spokesperson Juliette Michaelson said.

The MTA is exempting very few groups from the tolls, because it would force the agency to increase the base price for everyone else. The program is required to generate $1 billion in annual revenue for the MTA's construction department.

NYPD officers, transit workers, firefighters and teachers will all have to pay the charge if they drive their personal cars through the congestion zone while commuting to work..

Transport Workers Union International President John Samuelsen, who represents roughly half of the MTA’s workforce, said in a text message that a lack of exemptions for his members will “trigger even more hatred of their employer.”

The 2019 state legislation that authorized congestion pricing mandates some exemptions, including emergency vehicles as well as those transporting people with disabilities. Drivers won’t have to pay if they remain on the West Side Highway or FDR Drive, and the law mandates a tax credit equivalent to the cost of the tolls for people who live in Manhattan south of 60th Street and earn less than $60,000 a year.

The MTA board in December also signed off on a discount that gives drivers who make $50,000 a year or less 10 free trips into the congestion zone every calendar month.

The MTA hopes to begin tolling drivers in June. But the future of the program hinges on the outcome of a pair of lawsuits in Manhattan and New Jersey federal court that aim to delay its launch.

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Stephen Nessen covers transportation. Since 2008 he has reported on everything from Occupy Wall Street, the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site, Hurricane Sandy, to Trump’s campaign for president. His transportation reporting has taken him everywhere from the MTA’s secret Rail Control Center to the gleaming subways of Seoul. Got a tip? Email snessen@wnyc.org.

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