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NEW YORK CITY (WABC) — Governor Kathy Hochul is expected to unveil the path to unpausing congestion pricing at a press conference on Thursday.
Along with announcing a revised congestion pricing proposal, setting the base fare at $9 instead of $15, she is expected to discuss an alternate revenue source to make up for the lost $6, a 40% decrease in revenue.
Congestion pricing was designed to raise money for the MTA’s capital plan while reducing congestion by tolling drivers in Manhattan south of 60th Street.
The governor’s announcement comes a day before the start of a court case from those in support of congestion pricing, challenging the pause.
Gov. Phil Murphy has said he doesn’t understand why Hochul is unpausing the plan when families are still hurting financially. New Jersey has an ongoing lawsuit against congestion pricing in federal court in Newark, one of at least nine still pending.
The new congestion pricing fees under the revised pricing plan that is under discussion include:
-A $2.25 off-peak rate for passenger cars from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. on weekdays, and from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. on weekends, which is down from $3.75 in the original plan.
-A $3 “crossing credit’ for passenger cars entering the congestion zone through four Manhattan tunnels, which is down from the original $5 price.
-Small trucks and charter buses cost $14.40, originally $24, and large trucks and tour buses cost $21.60, originally $36.
-An extra per-ride surcharge is now 75 cents for taxis and black car services, originally $1.25, and $1.50 for Uber and Lyfts, originally $2.50.
The governor could not set the base toll lower than $9 without triggering a new federal environmental review, that could allow the incoming Trump administration to block it.
President-elect Donald Trump has openly and vehemently opposed congestion pricing, saying last May he would terminate the governor’s plan in his first week of office. But it would become much more complicated for Trump to do that if the governor starts her plan before he is inaugurated in January.
Instead, the $9 toll could increase in the coming years under this plan, which is what the Riders Alliance — which has been fighting for the toll to raise billions for mass transit — is hoping for.
“We’ll know more when the governor makes the announcement tomorrow but that’s what we’re hearing and that makes sense,” said Danny Pearlstein of the Riders Alliance. “$9 was studied. $15 was studied. Overall, the governor wants it to raise as much money as possible.”
Hochul’s announcement comes the day before a Friday court challenge to the congestion pricing pause in Lower Manhattan.
The court case was brought by environmental groups, transit advocates, and city Comptroller Brad Lander.
“We brought our lawsuits to ensure that congestion pricing would go into effect as required by law – and it couldn’t come at a more urgent time. If we don’t get the system in operation before Donald Trump becomes President, we’ll lose $15 billion in critical transit investments that we’ll never see again,” Lander said in part in a statement on Wednesday.
The MTA board would have to approve the new rate at a meeting expected on Nov 18.
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