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Congestion pricing is officially in effect and New Yorkers seem to be a bit confused about how, exactly, the plan will affect their commuting patterns—specifically when it comes to riding for-hire car services like Ubers, Lyfts and good old yellow taxis.
Let's start with the obvious: hailing any sort of ride within the new congestion zone—60th Street south to the Battery—will now cost you more. How much, exactly, depends on the kind of vehicle you'll be riding.
Taxis, green cabs and black cars will now charge an additional $0.75 in the congestion zone, according to the New York Times. Uber and Lyft riders will pay an extra $1.50 per trip, on the other hand.
"Cars on Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive and on the West Side Highway, which run along the edges of Manhattan, will not face charges as long as drivers do not enter the tolling zone," reports the outlet.
Just in case you were wondering, there are several reasons why the taxi surcharge will be half as pricey as the car service ones.
First of all, Ubers and Lyfts "make fewer trips and are more likely to idle in the zone," explains the New York Times, also citing transportation data. What's more, public officials "wanted to avoid driving customers away from the ailing yellow cab industry."
No matter the specifics, though, what's clear is that New Yorkers will have to pay more to move across the city unless they make use of public transportation. What's not clear is whether—and by how much—the new plan will actually improve local air quality and boost infrastructure budgets, which were the exact goals cited by officials promoting congestion fees in the first place.