Hochul did not change many hearts and minds with lower congestion pricing toll

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the return of congestion pricing with a new $9 toll that she celebrated as an affordability win for working New Yorkers. But after months of uncertainty about the fate of the tolling scheme and hand-wringing about cost-of-living concerns, the governor’s new plan hasn’t converted most opponents of the plan to supporters.

On Thursday, Hochul presented a solution to unpause congestion pricing at a price point 40% lower than the original $15 approved by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board. “I’m proud to announce we have found a path to fund the MTA, reduce congestion and keep millions of dollars in the pockets of our commuters,” Hochul said at a press conference at her Manhattan office. She said that the reduction would save drivers $1,500 a year compared to the original $15 tolling scheme.

But the revised toll would still cost drivers about $2,300 a year, when calculated for every working day in 2025. And for most opponents, that’s still too much. Hochul surrounded herself with congestion pricing supporters, those who were unhappy with the pause but elated to see it unpaused, even at a lower price point. Her press conference was not attended by anyone who had opposed congestion pricing. A press release from Hochul’s office on Thursday included only two people who previously supported the pause – Assembly Members Brian Cunningham and Yudelka Tapia.

Assembly Member David Weprin of Queens has been a staunch opponent of the tolling plan and would like to see it eliminated entirely. That hasn’t changed. “The difference between $15 and $9 is not that significant, and I also have never seen an MTA toll or price that didn’t go up … so I’ve got to think that it’s starting at $9 and it’s going to continue to go up,” he told City & State. Director of State Operations Kathryn Garcia said the toll price of $9 will stay in place for at least three years before officials consider raising the price. State Budget Director Blake Washington added that the price won’t increase unless “it’s absolutely necessary.”

Weprin had praised Hochul’s decision to pause congestion pricing (which the governor included in one of several press releases at the time), but the reduction in price has not turned him into a supporter. “Right now it’s zero, so you’re going up to $9 from zero, so how are you saving people money?” Weprin questioned. He added that he expects that his colleagues who opposed the plan would think the same.

That’s true of state Sen. James Skoufis, who told City & State that he had nothing new to add to a statement he put out about the rumored return of the tolling program last week. “I reiterate my very strong objection to the program without, at a minimum, common-sense carve-outs or dollar-for-dollar tax credits for drivers in transit deserts,” Skoufis said at the time. “Whether $9 or $15, this new toll will pose a severe hardship to many working-class New Yorkers who have little to no rail alternative.”

Hochul said that those who are not supportive of the new plan “can deal with their own constituents.” She stressed that had she not stepped in, drivers right now would be paying 40% more than what they will be paying when the program starts on Jan. 5. “All I know is that we are serving a very large population,” Hochul said of commuters who use public transit and will benefit from the MTA’s improvements. “So I encourage you to realize that what we’re doing here is fully funding improved services to make sure that this does not fall into disrepair, to make up for decades of disinvestment.”

Hochul also announced that she is directing the MTA to increase service on at least 23 outer borough bus lines to improve public transit in more car-dependent areas.

The United Federation of Teachers, another group that applauded the pause over the summer, said that it’s still moving full steam ahead with its lawsuit to permanently end congestion pricing. “Today’s announcement changes nothing – pollution and traffic congestion will be worse in the poor, working- and middle-class neighborhoods of the city, and these same families are still being asked to shoulder the cost,” United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew said in a statement.

Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey also recommitted to killing congestion pricing in court. “All of us need to listen to the message that voters across America sent last Tuesday, which is that the vast majority of Americans are experiencing extreme economic strain and still feeling the effects of inflation,” Murphy said in a statement. “There could not be a worse time to impose a new $9 toll on individuals who are traveling into downtown Manhattan for work, school or leisure.”

Republican Rep. Mike Lawler, who has expressed interest in potentially challenging Hochul in 2026, also attacked the governor for claiming that reducing the toll price is a win for New Yorkers. “It is a scam. Nothing more than a cash grab from hard working New Yorkers,” Lawler said in a post on X. “The idea that you are giving a ‘40% reduction’ to New Yorkers is the height of political spin.” He accused Hochul of “cynically” pausing the program – which polling had found was unpopular in swing areas of the state – only to bring it back a week after the election.

Hochul again denied that politics played a role in her decision to pause congestion pricing before the election, and to unpause just over a week afterward. She attributed the pause to the original June implementation date, blaming budget negotiations in March and April for why she didn’t move to express her discontent with the $15 toll price earlier. (The MTA approved the final toll in March after months of public debate.) Hochul said she wanted to conclude the budget “to know exactly where we stood financially,” but did not provide a clear answer about how the budget plan would have substantially reduced New Yorkers’ overall cost of living, which she has cited for the pause.

Hochul also said President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to kill congestion pricing as soon as he takes office didn’t pressure her to act immediately after the election either. “I’m not driven by the calendar of when people are elected or not elected,” she said. Hochul added that she’s not worried about the threat. “There’s threats every day of the week. I don’t worry about anything,” she said.

The governor, her staff and MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber assured reporters that even with the reduction in toll, the MTA would still get the $15 billion for the current capital plan required by state law – it just might take longer. The new tolling scheme – which includes the same exemptions from the original $15 toll plan – is estimated to bring in $600 million per year rather than the $900 million, which will still be used to issue $15 billion in bonds to fund transit repairs.