The MTA has announced that congestion pricing has brought in $48.6 million during its first month of operation.
The data comes after President Donald Trump announced his intention to kill the program by withdrawing federal support on Feb. 19, just six weeks after the tolls started.
Congestion pricing began on Jan. 5. It charges motorists a base peak toll of $9 when they enter the Congestion Relief Zone south of and including 60th Street in Manhattan.
According to Bloomberg, the revenue, which covers tolls collected through Jan. 31, is in line with budget projections. The MTA has said it expects to raise around $500 million from congestion pricing per year.
The program has shown signs of working to alleviate congestion, with a 7.5% reduction in traffic by its third week in effect.
Both the state and the MTA have taken the Trump administration to court to stop the maneuver; in the meantime, congestion pricing remains active, and tolls continue to be collected.
Over the weekend, Gov. Kathy Hochul reported on her meeting with Trump on Friday in Washington, DC. She told Face the Nation Sunday that she stressed the importance of the toll program on not just Manhattan residents but also the city’s public transit system.
Billions of dollars in planned transit improvements, to be funded with congestion pricing revenue, are at stake.
“I wanted to take my case to him directly and let him see the benefits of this program because our city is paralyzed with gridlock,” Hochul said on air. “And we had a path forward to be able to make the city move again, and it’s working. I wanted to just have that opportunity to convey that, but I don’t know that we’re very persuasive on that front, but that’s okay. The people in my state need to know I’m willing to take the fight wherever I have to.”
