Reinvent Albany Thanks Governor Hochul For Activating Congestion Pricing

We are extremely glad that Governor Hochul announced today that congestion pricing will be moving onto New York City streets on January 5, 2025. Members of our team have advocated for congestion pricing for thirty years and we continue to believe congestion pricing will provide enormous environmental and social benefits to New Yorkers that go far beyond raising funds for the MTA.

Congestion pricing went through extensive public review and is designed to put fairness first so that special interest groups pay the same as the general public. Further, we note that most crossings into Manhattan have been tolled by the MTA and Port Authority for decades, and congestion pricing will create a far fairer and more sensible regional tolling structure.

Importantly, the revenues from congestion pricing are lockboxed and will go only to capital projects already approved in the 2020-2024 capital plan. Congestion pricing revenues will be bonded to create $15 billion in funding to improve the subway, buses, and commuter rail and will support 100,000 good-paying jobs across New York State with local companies and for MTA union workers.

We are further encouraged that the MTA’s increase in bus service is moving forward while congestion pricing is starting. Reinvent Albany and our colleagues have long called for Outer Borough Transit Account funds to be put toward public transit, as was always intended.

Lastly, we appreciate Governor Hochul announcing her support for the MTA’s 2025-2029 Capital Plan. We believe the MTA’s proposed 2025-29 capital plan, though very large, realistically reflects the huge backlog of projects needed to keep trains and buses rolling.

We thank Governor Hochul, MTA Chair Janno Lieber, their staff and the many advocates who have championed congestion pricing. We also thank the State Legislature for passing congestion pricing into law in 2019, making this possible.