In order to comply with the implementation of congestion pricing, the board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) voted on April 30 to approve a pilot program. Starting from July 1, commuters holding monthly passes for the Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) in the five boroughs of New York City will receive a 10% discount. However, this move has sparked criticism from suburban lawmakers who are demanding equal treatment in terms of discounts.
This pilot program aims to encourage New Yorkers to switch to public transportation after the implementation of congestion pricing. Therefore, it is set to take effect on July 1, the day after congestion pricing is introduced. However, the discount offer is limited to commuters with monthly passes in the five boroughs of New York City. Even passengers traveling from upstate or Long Island to Manhattan within the congestion pricing zone will not be eligible for the discount, even if they purchase monthly passes.
In response to this, Congressmen Pat Ryan from Ulster County and Mike Lawler from Rockland County, who represent the northern suburbs, wrote a letter to MTA Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber on April 30. They requested an expansion of the program to include discounts for suburban commuters as well.
In their letter, they criticized the MTA for prioritizing New York City over the suburbs. They pointed out that the MTA first pushed through the congestion pricing plan, disregarding the opposition from numerous Hudson Valley commuters. Now, by only offering discounts to the five boroughs of New York City, it shows that the congestion pricing plan is essentially sacrificing the suburbs to benefit the MTA and New York City.
Congressman Anthony D’Esposito from Long Island also criticized the MTA for favoring New York City residents by providing fare discounts while squeezing Long Island residents through a post on social media platform X.
On April 30, the MTA board also voted to increase the frequency of peak-hour buses on six express bus routes, including BM2, BM5, SIM1C, SIM4C, SIM23, and SIM24, on the same day congestion pricing is implemented, to accommodate the anticipated increase in passengers. However, the congestion pricing plan is currently facing multiple lawsuits from opponents, including the New York state government and local authorities, Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossela, dozens of legislators, and the United Federation of Teachers (UFT). The lawsuit brought by the New York state government is expected to have a ruling by mid-June, adding uncertainty to the successful implementation of congestion pricing.