The issue of unfair congestion charges in Manhattan has drawn significant criticism. On March 4th, NBC News reported several cases where individuals were unfairly charged tolls since the congestion charge was implemented in January. One such case involved a man living in Manhattan who was incorrectly charged tolls for four days, even though he never left the area south of 60th Street, where the congestion charge is applied. Jesse King, the individual who raised the issue, explained, “I only rode my scooter around the garage on West 30th Street and never left or re-entered 60th Street in Manhattan, which is the boundary where the congestion charge is imposed, but I was charged a total of $18 in tolls over the four days.”
According to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), if a vehicle only operates within the central business district south of 60th Street in Manhattan, it should not be subject to the congestion charge. Drivers who reside in the congested area will only be charged tolls if they leave and re-enter 60th Street. After NBC News brought the issue to the MTA’s attention, it was confirmed that the man’s scooter had not left the designated area, and the toll charges were refunded. However, the MTA referred to this as a “simple error” and did not provide further explanation or address whether other individuals might have been similarly affected.
Critics of the congestion charge have argued that this case highlights the need for more transparency in the tolling system. Concerns have arisen that there could be more instances of unfair charges, prompting calls for the MTA to improve the transparency of the system. Additionally, social media posts have revealed other instances of errors where toll charges were incorrectly applied. One person shared, “I have never been to Lower Manhattan, but I was charged the congestion tax several times. When I checked, the reader error was incorrectly recognizing the license plate information, so I was charged the fee that was supposed to be charged to someone else.”
Other cases involve drivers who were unaware of the specific congestion tax methods, resulting in them paying higher fees. For example, some drivers who had an EZ-Pass but did not understand the charging system were sent toll charges by mail instead of being automatically deducted from their account. A Korean resident of New Jersey shared his experience, saying, “I went to Manhattan with my wife’s car over the weekend, but the car didn’t have an EZ-Pass terminal, so I took the one in my car. I thought the toll would be paid with my EZ-Pass, but I later received a notice in the mail.” This resulted in a more expensive toll bill, as tolls charged by mail can be 50% more expensive than those paid using an EZ-Pass.
The congestion charge is $9 for passenger cars, $14.40 for light trucks, and $21.60 for large trucks during daytime hours with an EZ-Pass. However, if the toll is paid by mail due to a lack of an EZ-Pass, the cost increases by 50%. For instance, a passenger car that would have paid $9 during the day could end up paying $13.50.
Last month, the Donald Trump administration withdrew the federal government’s environmental impact assessment approval for the Manhattan congestion charge and ordered the MTA to end its implementation by March 21st. However, New York Governor Kathy Hochul and the MTA have refused to comply with the decision and have filed a lawsuit. They plan to continue collecting the congestion charges until a court order is issued.