The MTA wants to know how New Yorkers really feel on congestion pricing – a plan they want to implement starting next year to charge motorists to enter parts of Manhattan.  

The MTA is currently hosting their second-to-last public hearing, and so far they have received significant pushback from drivers. That’s because if you choose to drive into Manhattan below 60th Street all the way down to the Battery, you’ll be paying for it in tolls significantly. 

The plan is aimed at encouraging more people to take mass transit while reducing pollution from motor vehicles.  

The plan hopes to reduce traffic in the city while increasing MTA revenue, but drivers feel they shouldn’t have to pay a price for just choosing to drive.  

“This program is all about revenue,: said Assemblyman Michael Tannousis. “And with all due respect to the MTA, this is the same agency that has been continuously funded by our tax dollars and has received billions of dollars in bail out money from our federal government. Yet enough is never enough.” 

Several attendees to previous public hearings include taxi, Lyft, and Uber drivers who say this will break their livelihood. This would mainly affect Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, and New Jersey commuters.  

In an environmental assessment, the MTA stated that this plan could reduce traffic by up to 20% and would improve the environment.  

The final public hearing is on Wednesday at 10 a.m. Click here for more information.