A year after New York City rolled out congestion pricing in Manhattan, new data indicates that traffic is moving more efficiently, with buses and taxis seeing noticeable improvements in travel times.

The pricing program, which marked its first anniversary on Monday, requires most private vehicles to pay a $9 fee during peak hours to enter Manhattan below 60th Street, with higher charges imposed on trucks based on size. Since its introduction, traffic in the congestion zone has declined by roughly 11%, according to figures from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which oversees the city’s transit system and put the tolling plan into effect.

That reduction in vehicle volume has translated into faster trips for professional drivers. Taxis operating south of 60th Street averaged 7.3 miles per hour between January and October of last year, representing a 1.4% increase compared with the same months in 2024, before the toll went live. The increase reverses a multiyear trend in which average taxi speeds had been slipping steadily since 2021, according to the new analysis.

Bus riders are also seeing gains. Local, limited, select, and express bus services collectively moved about 3% faster within the tolled area as of November, benefiting commuters who rely on surface transit through some of the city’s most congested corridors.

Traffic counts reinforce the trend. Vehicle volumes through tunnels leading into the congestion pricing zone dropped by 3.1%, while bridge and tunnel crossings into the area during the first ten months of 2025 matched 100% of 2019 levels. That marks a decline from 2024, when crossings reached 103.6% of pre-pandemic volumes.

The findings come from a joint report by the Regional Plan Association, a nonprofit focused on regional economic health and quality of life, and the Sam Schwartz Transportation Research Program at the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College.

Beyond easing congestion, the tolling system is generating significant funding. The MTA projects that congestion pricing will produce $548.3 million in net revenue in 2025, money slated for upgrades and modernization across the city’s aging transit infrastructure.

{Matzav.com}

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