Port Authority Bridges & Tunnels: Toll Rules for Drivers

In short: The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey runs six toll crossings between New York and New Jersey. A car pays the same price at all six: $14.79 off-peak or $16.79 at peak with a New York or New Jersey E-ZPass, $19.55 Mid-Tier and $23.30 by mail (rates as of October 12, 2026). Tolls are charged only entering New York. On TLC trips to New Jersey the passenger pays your toll back. Unpaid Port Authority tolls can go to collection agencies and, when large, to court.

The six crossings

Crossing pages: George Washington Bridge, Lincoln Tunnel, Holland Tunnel, Goethals Bridge, Bayonne Bridge, Outerbridge Crossing.

Rates by class

"All rates shown in the table below apply to the Lincoln & Holland tunnels, the George Washington, Bayonne & Goethals bridges, and the Outerbridge Crossing" (Port Authority tolls).

Nearly every TLC vehicle is Class 1, so the car row is the one to remember. The price is the same at all six crossings, so on a New Jersey trip the time you come back matters more than which crossing you use. The Port Authority charges different classes for trucks and buses; it changed its bus classes on July 12, 2026, splitting two-axle mini buses under 32 feet from longer buses. If you drive a large van or a commuter van, check the full table on the Port Authority page.

Four rules that decide your price

1. One direction. "Tolls are collected entering New York. No tolls are collected entering New Jersey." Going to New Jersey is free; coming back costs the toll. See are there tolls going to New Jersey?
2. Peak hours. Weekdays 6–10 a.m. and 4–8 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m.–9 p.m. All other times are off-peak.
3. Which E-ZPass. "All E-ZPass discounts apply only to New York and New Jersey E-ZPass account holders." The tag required in TLC vehicles, an MTA Bridges and Tunnels tag, is a New York tag. A tag from Pennsylvania or another state does not get the discount.
4. Tag read or not. Since July 6, 2025, a NY/NJ account whose tag is "not properly mounted and not positioned for accurate readings" pays Mid-Tier, $19.55. The Port Authority says Mid-Tier affects about 9% of transactions. Your plate must also be "correctly registered to an active NY/NJ E-ZPass account in good standing" or you get a Tolls by Mail invoice.

Which agency issued my tag? The first three digits of the tag ID tell you: 005 Port Authority, 004 NYS Thruway, 008 or 086 MTA Bridges and Tunnels, 022 New Jersey, 006 Pennsylvania Turnpike (Port Authority E-ZPass page).

Plans

Fewer than three Staten Island-bound trips in a month on the PASI plan means you pay the normal $14.79 or $16.79. The plan is explained in Staten Island Bridges Plan, and the TLC question in Staten Island toll discount on a TLC car.

Congestion zone credit. A car with a valid E-ZPass that enters Manhattan's congestion zone at peak through the Lincoln or Holland Tunnel gets a credit of up to $3.00 against the MTA's daily zone toll (Port Authority E-ZPass page; TBTA schedule). TLC trips pay the per-trip charge instead, so the credit matters for your personal car. Details: congestion pricing crossing credits.

Who pays on a TLC trip

On any taxi or FHV trip beyond the city, "the passenger must pay all necessary tolls to and from the destination" (§58-26(f)(2); §59A-23(b)(2)). Because Port Authority tolls are collected only into New York, the toll on a New Jersey trip is almost always your return toll, and the passenger owes it. On Uber and Lyft, the company must repay tolls you paid during the dispatched trip (§59D-17(c)); a return toll is paid after the trip ends, so check your app's policy. Newark trip totals: Newark Airport tolls by route.

Collections agencies and civil action

The Port Authority is direct about what happens to unpaid violations at its crossings (Port Authority tolls):

• "Unpaid violations may also be collected by one of these collections agencies: Southwest Credit, AllianceOne (or affiliate PMT Solutions), and Transworld Systems Inc."
• "Significant unpaid violations may be pursued through civil action by the Merani Law Firm."
• If your violations are already in collections and your registration is not suspended, it says to keep working with the collection agency directly.

Scammers use the same names. The Port Authority says that if a call seems suspicious, verify it by calling the agency at the number on its official website: Southwest Credit 1-877-391-0160, AllianceOne 1-866-505-2158, Transworld Systems 1-866-246-0157, Merani Law Firm 1-929-458-6275. It also warns of a "widespread text scam" using the name "NY Toll Services"; pay only at EZPassNY.com, TollsByMailNY.com or the Tolls NY app. More: is the NY Toll Services text a scam?

Step by step: fixing a Port Authority toll problem

Mistakes that cost drivers money or points

• Charging a toll going to New Jersey. There is none. Charging a passenger for a toll that was not paid is an overcharge (§58-26(f)(3)).
• Forgetting the return toll. On a New Jersey trip the passenger owes it. If you don't collect it, you pay it.
• Assuming peak. Check the clock: $14.79 or $16.79 depends on when you cross back.
• A new TLC car not on the account. If the plate isn't linked, the crossing is billed by mail at $23.30.
• Ignoring letters. Port Authority violations can reach collections and civil action, and unpaid toll violations can lead to a registration suspension. Read unpaid tolls and registration suspension and dispute a toll bill.

Where to get help

E-ZPass New York 1-800-333-8655 · E-ZPass New Jersey 1-888-288-6865 · Port Authority Toll Payer Advocate · MTA crossings inside the city: MTA bridges and tunnels · Port Authority police and TLC summonses: Port Authority TLC summonses · Tolls hub