[–><!–>Almost immediately after the tolls went into effect Jan. 5 — charging most vehicles $9 to enter Manhattan from 60th Street south to the Battery — they began to alter traffic patterns, commuter behavior, transit service, even the sound of gridlock and the on-time arrival of school buses.–><!–>
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Cars on the street
Fewer
Traffic speeds
Faster
Peak commute times
Faster still
Local buses
Faster, less delayed
Traffic outside the zone
Not worse
New Jersey commutes
Faster
Transit ridership
Up, up, up
Yellow taxi trips
Up
Citi Bike trips
Up in and out of the zone
Car crash injuries
Down
Parking violations
Down
Traffic noise complaints
Down
Fire response times
Slightly down
School bus delays
Fewer
Visitors to the zone
Up
Restaurants, Broadway
Holding up
Pollution
Too soon to say
Lower-income commuters
Too soon to say
Public opinion
Not great, but improving
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[–><!–>Evidence has mounted that the program so far is achieving its two main goals — reducing congestion and raising revenue for transit improvements — even as the federal government has ramped up pressure to halt it. In March, the tolls raised $45 million in net revenue, putting the program on track to generate roughly $500 million in its first year.–><!–>
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–>Traffic in the zone<!–>
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–>Fewer cars are entering the congestion zone than before.<!–>
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[–><!–>The Metropolitan Transportation Authority estimates that about 76,000 fewer vehicles per day entered the congestion zone in April than probably would have without the toll. That’s the equivalent of 2.3 million fewer cars for the month, or 12 percent fewer than would have been expected given historical traffic trends.–><!–>
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–>Traffic is moving faster.<!–>
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[–><!–>An outside analysis from researchers at Stanford, Yale and Google found similar results. They looked at anonymized, aggregated data from trips taken with Google Maps and found that average traffic speeds inside the zone increased by 15 percent in the first two months of congestion pricing. That’s compared with what the researchers estimate would have happened without the toll, given traffic trends in other cities.–><!–>
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–>The greatest speed gains are coming at peak commute times.<!–>
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[–><!–>The Google study found a similar pattern but an even larger effect in the program’s first two months, with speeds inside the congestion zone improving by more than 20 percent during weekday rush hours from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.–><!–>
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–>Local buses are also moving faster.<!–>
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<!–>Speeds between January through March of each year. Congestion zone speeds measure route segments inside the zone and include one stop before entry and one stop after exit. The rest of Manhattan excludes these segments. Source: M.T.A. bus speed data–>
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–>Traffic elsewhere<!–>
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–>Traffic has not slowed just outside the congestion zone.<!–>
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From 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays
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–>Traffic has not surged in the South Bronx, as some predicted.<!–>
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–>Signs are also positive for New Jersey commuters.<!–>
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–>Residents of lower-income neighborhoods have seen faster travel, too.<!–>
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–>Ridership is up across all modes of public transit.<!–>
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2024
2025
change
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Bus
1.1 mil.
1.2 mil.
+13%
Long Island Rail Road
186k
207k
+11%
NYC Subway
3.2 mil.
3.4 mil.
+8.2%
Metro-North Railroad
163k
176k
+8.2%
Staten Island Railway
5.4k
5.7k
+4.4%
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<!–>Ridership from Jan. 5 to April 21 in each year. Source: M.T.A.–>
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[–><!–>On the PATH commuter train that serves New Jersey commuters crossing the Hudson River, ridership is also up — by nearly 6 percent — in the first three months of the year compared with last year. New Jersey Transit, which runs a different rail and bus system into Manhattan, has not shared data, but stated it had “no evidence at this time that congestion pricing is having an appreciable impact on ridership.” (The policy is especially fraught in New Jersey, where officials are suing to stop congestion pricing in federal court.)–><!–>
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[–><!–>The Trump administration has seized on a number of high-profilecrimes to paint mass transit as unsafe and a poor substitute for commuters who drive to the city. But on the subway, crime is dropping. In the first three months of 2025, criminal offenses in the subway fell to the second-lowest level in 27 years, with an 18 percent drop in major crime categories, police data shows.–><!–>
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–>Yellow taxi trips inside the zone are up, too.<!–>
–>Citi Bike trips in the zone are up, but they’re up citywide.<!–>
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–>Car crashes and injuries have declined.<!–>
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–>Parking violations are down.<!–>
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[–><!–>Data on parking violations suggests that certain types of risky driver behavior are declining. Violations issued within the congestion zone — for infractions like double-parking or parking in no-parking zones — were down nearly 4 percent from January through mid-April compared with last year. Over this time, there was a small increase in violations in the rest of Manhattan.–><!–>
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<!–>Parking violations from Jan. 5 to April 15 of each year. Source: Dept. of Finance–>
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–>Fewer New Yorkers are complaining about traffic noise.<!–>
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–>Fire response times are improving.<!–>
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–>More students are arriving to class on time.<!–>
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[–><!–>One school bus company, NYC School Bus Umbrella Services (NYCSBUS), has found that, compared with last year, the share of buses arriving at schools late has dropped more inside the congestion zone than outside it.–><!–>
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–>Other business measures are doing OK so far.<!–>
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–>It’s too early to know if pollution is declining.<!–>
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[–><!–>Supporters of congestion pricing said it would also create environmental benefits, with fewer polluting cars on the road (and idling in gridlock or circling for parking).–><!–>
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[–><!–>The New York City health department’s readings of PM2.5, one air quality measure, improved citywide the first three months of this year compared with the same period in 2024. The improvement was more pronounced within the congestion zone, but it’s too early to attribute that to the program, or to know if that’s a lasting pattern, experts said.–><!–>
–>The full effects on lower-income commuters aren’t clear.<!–>
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[–><!–>Critics of congestion pricing have warned that the tolls could harm lower-income commuters who lack access to transit. In response, the M.T.A. has carved out a 50 percent discount on peak tolls for drivers who make less than $50,000 a year. Some drivers can also apply for a tax credit.–><!–>
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[–><!–>In other ways, lower-income workers, who are more likely to use mass transit, stand to benefit from bus and rail investments that will be financed by the toll revenue. Some of the improvements, including new elevators and a more reliable signal system in the subway, are already underway.–><!–>
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–>An unpopular policy may be growing less so.<!–>
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[–><!–>A Siena College poll in December, for example, found that only 32 percent of New York City voters supported the program (29 percent statewide). But by March, 42 percent said it should remain in place (compared with 33 percent statewide). Most recently, in early April, a Marist poll also found that 42 percent of city voters want the program to stay — still not a majority, but perhaps getting closer.–><!–>
