New York City’s public buses and taxis are traveling at faster speeds since the launch of the controversial congestion-pricing program, according to a report from the Regional Plan Association (RPA). The tolling initiative, which reached its one-year anniversary in January, helped reduce traffic by about 11%, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA).
Taxi trips starting or ending south of 60th Street traveled at an average of 7.3 miles per hour from Jan. through Oct. of 2025 – a 1.4% increase from the same period in 2024, according to the RPA report. This is a reversal from recent years as average taxi speeds decreased every year since 2021. Some bus riders are also benefiting, with local, limited, select bus service and express buses traveling a combined 3% faster in the tolled zone as of November, the report said.
Traffic through tolled tunnels into Manhattan’s congestion pricing zone is down by 3.1%, according to the report.
Congestion pricing is set to bring in $548.3 million of net revenue in 2025 that will help modernize the city’s aging transit network, according to the MTA.
Source: Crain’s New York Business
