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With the arrival of the new congestion pricing plan next week, commuters alike are bracing for financial impact.
When it begins on January 5, most vehicles will be charged $9 when they enter the Manhattan zone, which are local streets and avenues at or below 60 Street and near Central Park. Cars with E-ZPass will pay a lower fee than those without one and taxis and ride sharing services will bake a new per-trip fee into their prices: $0.75 for cabs and $1.50 for Ubers and Lyfts.
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Seeing an opportunity to help people adjust to the new fee, Lyft says it’ll credit users $1.50 every time they pay the new congestion fee in January for use on a future trip (either via Lyft or Citi Bike).
“Rides in NYC are among the most expensive in the country, partially due to all the government-imposed taxes and fees riders have to pay before even stepping into a vehicle,” Lyft wrote in a blog post. “The new $1.50 congestion fee starting in January is on top of a separate $2.75 congestion fee riders already pay to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Call it one small step towards our New Year’s resolution to help make rideshare in NYC more affordable.”
So, how does it work?
If you simply take a ride into the Manhattan Zone, you’ll get a notification from your Lyft app letting you know you’ve qualified for the credit. Once your ride is complete, the $1.50 will be applied to your account for use on future trips—anywhere you go. You will get this credit any time you go through the zone through January 31.
And because Lyft operates Citi Bike, it can be used toward a ride on that program.
There’s a catch though—the credit you get is only available for one week following the completion of your initial ride, so grab it while you can.