MTA Bridges & Tunnels: Toll Rules for TLC Drivers

In short: MTA Bridges and Tunnels runs nine toll crossings inside New York City. With a New York E-ZPass a car pays $7.46 at the six large ones, $3.42 at the Henry Hudson and $2.80 at the Cross Bay and Marine Parkway, in each direction, at any hour (rates as of October 12, 2026). A tag from another state pays the Tolls by Mail rate. On TLC trips inside the city the passenger pays the toll, except on three return crossings from Staten Island and the Rockaways, where the passenger going the other way pays double.

All nine MTA crossings, 2026 car rates

Each crossing has its own page with routes, who pays and traffic:

• Six at $7.46: Verrazzano-Narrows, RFK (Triborough), Bronx-Whitestone, Throgs Neck, Queens Midtown Tunnel, Hugh L. Carey Tunnel
• Henry Hudson Bridge at $3.42
• Cross Bay and Marine Parkway at $2.80

The four East River bridges run by NYC DOT have no toll: free East River bridges.

Three prices for the same crossing

The MTA charges one of three prices, and the tag you carry decides which (MTA tolls by vehicle type):

NYCSC tags are issued by MTA Bridges and Tunnels, the Port Authority and the NYS Thruway Authority. For a TLC driver the difference adds up: every crossing with a New Jersey tag costs $4.57 more at the large crossings than with a New York tag.

Extra axles. A car towing a trailer pays an extra-axle charge: $4.88 per axle with E-ZPass at the six large crossings and $3.65 at the Henry Hudson, Cross Bay and Marine Parkway.

Both directions, every time

MTA tolls are charged per crossing. The Verrazzano-Narrows has been tolled in each direction since December 1, 2020 ("split tolling"). In the MTA's open crossing data for 2025, every facility records traffic both ways except the RFK Bridge's Manhattan plaza, which records only "Eastbound to Bronx or Queens" (ebfx-2m7v). This is different from the Port Authority, which charges only entering New York: Port Authority crossings.

Who pays on a TLC trip

The double toll exists because you have to cross back to leave Staten Island or the Rockaways, and TLC decided the passenger going there should cover it. The detailed rule and examples: Verrazzano and Rockaway return toll rule. Trips that leave the city follow a different rule: the passenger pays all tolls to and from the destination (§58-26(f)(2)).

Resident plans and TLC vehicles

The MTA has two resident plans (MTA resident programs):

• Staten Island Resident (Verrazzano): $4.19 E-ZPass, with an effective toll of $2.75 under the Staten Island Resident Rebate Program. The vehicle must be registered to a Staten Island address.
• Rockaway Resident (Cross Bay and Marine Parkway): $1.83 E-ZPass; the Cross Bay toll is rebated after each trip. The vehicle must be registered to a Rockaway/Broad Channel address.

Both plans say "vehicles used for commercial purposes are not eligible," and both need a mounted tag; otherwise you pay Mid-Tier. The MTA does not mention taxis or for-hire vehicles, so we can't tell you whether a TLC-plated car qualifies. Details: Staten Island toll discount on a TLC car.

Traffic at each crossing

The MTA's hourly crossing data counts 340,352,556 crossings at its nine facilities in 2025 (ten toll plazas, because the RFK Bridge has two). 85.8% were read as E-ZPass. Totals by TLC Help from ebfx-2m7v, all vehicle classes, both directions.

TLC trip records show how often a TLC trip pays any toll. App trips record a toll more often than taxi trips, every month:

More charts and the year trend: MTA bridge and tunnel traffic.

Step by step: set up for MTA crossings

Owners: the account behind the tag

The rule that every TLC vehicle carries an MTA tag starts with the owner. A taxi owner must keep "a current account" with MTA Bridges and Tunnels, either equip every cab with an MTA tag attached as the MTA requires or let the driver use a personal tag, have at least one MTA tag for each medallion, and keep "a sufficient balance" (§58-27(a)–(b)). Each of these carries a $100 fine and suspension until compliance, and the owner must appear. FHV owners have the matching rule in §59A-24. When the driver uses a personal tag, the driver keeps the toll money the passenger pays, or is reimbursed when the passenger pays by card (§58-27(c)). When the owner provides the tag, the toll money belongs to the owner (§58-27(d)).

When an MTA toll becomes a bill

MTA crossings are cashless, so you never stop to pay. Problems show up later, on your statement or in the mail, and the fees grow fast (MTA toll violation fees, updated March 19, 2025):

An E-ZPass account that goes below $0 is out of compliance, and crossings can turn into Toll Bills. The MTA says to pay those bills from a funded E-ZPass NY account using "Resolve Toll Bill (E-ZPass Customers)" on the Tolls by Mail website, or call 800-333-8655. For a TLC vehicle, the owner of the registration gets the bill, which is why leases and garages care about who keeps the account funded. Whose money pays a toll on a leased car: E-ZPass replenishment account in a lease. To fight a bill: dispute a toll bill. If the bills pile up: unpaid tolls and registration suspension.

Mistakes that cost drivers money or points

• Charging the mail rate. Asking a passenger for $12.03 when your tag paid $7.46 is an overcharge (§58-26(f)(3)).
• Forgetting the double toll. Brooklyn to Staten Island over the Verrazzano is two times the toll. Not charging it means you pay your own way back.
• Charging a toll on the free direction. Staten Island to Brooklyn: the passenger owes no Verrazzano toll.
• Not paying the tag holder. §80-15(d)(4): $50 fine plus restitution, and you must appear at the hearing.
• Driving with no E-ZPass. §80-15(d)(1)–(3): $100 if you plead guilty before a hearing, $150 after.

More mistakes and fixes: toll overcharge mistakes. Rates side by side with the Port Authority: NYC toll rates compared. All toll topics: tolls hub.