JFK to Manhattan: Tolls & Congestion Charges by Route

In short: A yellow taxi trip between JFK and Manhattan is a $70 flat fare plus tolls and surcharges (§58-26(b)(1)). The route decides the toll. The Queens Midtown Tunnel, RFK Bridge and Hugh L. Carey Tunnel each cost $7.46 with a New York E-ZPass (rates as of October 12, 2026). The Queensboro, Williamsburg, Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges have no toll. Where the trip starts or ends in Manhattan decides the congestion charges: $0.75 at or below 60th Street and $2.50 below 96th Street.

This guide is about the toll part of the trip. For every add-on to the $70, see JFK flat fare: what drivers charge.

The four ways into Manhattan from JFK

All MTA rates below took effect January 4, 2026 (MTA). MTA crossings have no peak price, and they charge in both directions.

With a non-New York E-ZPass the MTA charges the Tolls by Mail rate, $12.03, at the tunnel and RFK. Mid-Tier is $9.79 when a New York tag is not read. The four East River bridges are run by NYC DOT, and DOT says: "There are no tolls on bridges operated by NYC DOT" (NYC DOT bridges). More: free East River bridges.

Toll rates for the three toll routes

Who picks the route, and who pays

Two TLC rules apply together:

1. Route. "Unless a Passenger makes a specific request, a Driver must proceed to the Passenger's destination by the shortest reasonable route," and you must follow "all reasonable and lawful routing requests" (§80-16(a), fine $100 before a hearing, $150 after).
2. Toll. "Passengers must pay for the toll, but are only required to pay the actual amount (often a discounted toll) charged to the EZ-Pass" (§58-26(e)(3)). The JFK flat fare is "$70, plus any tolls and applicable surcharges."

So the flat fare does not change with the route, but the toll does. If the passenger wants the free bridge, take it. If you plan to use the tunnel, say so at the start: it avoids a dispute at drop-off. The full route rule, with app navigation questions: toll bridge or free route with a passenger?.

Never add a toll the cab did not pay, and never charge the $12.03 mail rate when your tag paid $7.46. Both are overcharges under §80-17 (§58-26(f)(3)).

The congestion charges depend on the Manhattan address

Two different charges, two different lines:

• MTA congestion per-trip charge, $0.75 in a taxi (Uber and Lyft: $1.50). It applies to a trip "to, from, within or through" Manhattan at or below 60th Street, at any hour, under the MTA's per-trip plan (TBTA CBD schedule). The FDR Drive, the West Side Highway/Route 9A and the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel connections to West Street are excluded roadways.
• NYS congestion surcharge, $2.50 in a yellow taxi. It applies when the trip begins, ends or passes through Manhattan south of 96th Street (TLC taxi fare).

A JFK trip to an address at 110th Street over the RFK pays neither. A trip to Midtown pays both, whichever crossing you use. Choosing a free bridge saves the bridge toll, not the congestion charges. Pay-statement details for app drivers: congestion charges on pay statements.

Worked example: JFK to Midtown, weekday 5:30 p.m.

The tunnel total is $70 + $2.00 + $0.50 + $1.00 + $5.00 + $7.46 + $2.50 + $0.75. Going to JFK from Manhattan, leave out the $2.00 access fee: the Port Authority charges taxis only for pick-ups (approved fee changes).

App trips: same tolls, different rules

On Uber or Lyft the app fare is not the $70 flat fare. The passenger's fare includes the toll, and the company "must remit to the Driver the entirety of any toll paid by the Driver during a dispatched trip" (§59D-17(c); fine $500 plus restitution). The MTA per-trip charge for these trips is $1.50. The Port Authority's access fee for for-hire vehicles is $3.50 for both pick-up and drop-off since March 15, 2026. If a toll is missing from your pay: Uber didn't pay my toll.

Mistakes that cost drivers money

• Using an out-of-state tag. A New Jersey or Pennsylvania E-ZPass is allowed in a TLC car (§80-15(d)(3)), but at the Queens Midtown Tunnel, RFK and Hugh L. Carey it is charged $12.03, not $7.46. The passenger only owes the amount actually charged, so you can't pass the higher price on as a "standard" toll, and a tag holder who expects $7.46 per crossing will notice the difference.
• A loose or covered tag. A New York tag that is not read is billed by plate at Mid-Tier, $9.79.
• Not paying the tag holder. If you drive a leased taxi on the owner's E-ZPass, you must forward the toll money to the tag holder at the end of your shift or lease. Breaking §80-15(d)(4) carries a $50 fine plus restitution, and you must appear at the hearing.
• Using the flat fare for the wrong borough. The $70 is only for JFK and Manhattan. A trip from JFK to Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens or Staten Island runs on the meter (§58-26(b)(3)), and any toll is still added.
• Several stops in Manhattan. The $70 plus tolls and surcharges is collected at the first stop. Then the meter starts as a new trip for the rest of the ride (§58-26(b)(2)). Any toll on the later part is added to that metered fare.

Going to JFK: the same crossings, the same price

MTA tunnels and bridges charge in both directions, so a Manhattan-to-JFK trip through the Queens Midtown Tunnel also pays $7.46. The $70 flat fare applies in either direction too. The differences going to the airport are the add-ons: no $2.00 taxi access fee for a drop-off, and the rush hour surcharge depends on when the trip starts.

How often these trips actually pay a toll

We counted TLC trip records for trips between the JFK taxi zone and any Manhattan zone, with pickups from January 4 to August 31, 2026 (after the current MTA rates began), using the same clean-trip filters as our other trip datasets (TLC trip record data).

About three in four yellow taxi trips used a toll crossing, and about one in five recorded no toll. The records show the toll amount, not the route, so we can't tell which crossing was used or why.

Related pages

LaGuardia to Manhattan tolls · Newark Airport tolls by route · Toll changes timeline · Congestion pricing increases 2028–2031 · Congestion pricing for TLC drivers · Manhattan · Tolls hub