Roughly 11,000 New York City school buses, nearly 15,000 municipal vehicles — as well as commuter buses with regular schedules — are slated to be exempt from Manhattan’s incoming congestion pricing tolls, MTA and city officials said Monday.
The three groups are the latest, and likely final, classes of vehicles to get a pass from the charges, which the MTA board plans to finalize on Wednesday.
The board in December approved a $15 daytime charge for the program, which will toll motorists who drive south of 60th Street in Manhattan. The approval triggered a 60-day review process that included another round of public hearings.
During the course of the review, Mayor Eric Adams’ office pushed for the school bus and municipal vehicle exemptions, according to mayoral spokesperson Liz Garcia.
“Congestion pricing is here, and we are glad that this plan will deliver for working-class New Yorkers,” Garcia said. “As a result of our advocacy, we’ve secured discounts for low-income New Yorkers and shift workers, exemptions for school buses and essential city vehicles.
While the city has more than 30,000 vehicles in its fleet, the mayor’s office confirmed less than half of those meet the criteria for exemptions. Officials said examples of city vehicles to be exempt from the tolls include those used for agency duties like a Department of Buildings inspector following up on a 311 complaint, a case worker with Administration for Children’s Services visiting a family or a city planner going to a work site.
MTA Chair Janno Lieber in December raised concerns that school buses could be rented as “party buses” during off hours, which could make it hard to exempt them from the tolls only while they’re operating for the education department. City officials on Monday said school buses are hardly ever rented out for private parties and the MTA plans to exempt them from the tolls.
The MTA’s Traffic Mobility Review Board — which was formed to recommend the toll prices and…
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