Jitney scores exemption from MTA congestion pricing fees
After calling on its ridership to offer feedback to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the Hampton Jitney was spared from paying extra fees — and doubling its fares — when entering Manhattan’s Central Business District.
New York City will implement the country’s first-ever congestion pricing program in June, which means vehicles entering Manhattan’s “Congestion Relief Zone” south of 60th Street will be charged a toll of up to $15.
The price of the toll depends on several factors, including peak and off-peak hours, the type of vehicle, and if an E-ZPass electric tolling device is installed.
Back in February, Hampton Jitney, Inc. president Geoffrey Lynch said in a letter to customers that the tolling program would include the Queens Midtown Tunnel — which the company’s buses had passed through some 20,000 times in 2023.
Mr. Lynch argued that private carriers like the Hampton Jitney should be exempt from the congestion pricing toll program given the “vital role” such services play for commuters traveling between New Yoprk City and Long Island’s East End.
The MTA’s Traffic Mobility Review Board previously recommended that all transit and commuter buses — whether owned by a public agency or a private company — that provide commuter services under a government contract should be exempt from the toll.
Hampton Jitney is an independently run company not under contract with any governmental entity, Mr. Lynch said, so the toll exemption for its services was unclear at the time.
After a period of significant public feedback, the MTA Board officially adopted the congestion pricing plan March 27, and it was determined that commuter buses like the Hampton Jitney that run on a regular schedule and follow a fixed route with limited stops should be exempt.
Additionally, qualifying authorized emergency vehicles, vehicles carrying riders with disabilities, school buses contracted with the NYC Department of Education, commuter vans licensed with the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission and other specialized government vehicles will also be exempt from the toll program.
