What Are Congestion Pricing Peak Hours?

Peak hours are 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends. Every other hour is the overnight period, when a car pays 75% less. These hours matter for your own car. A taxi, green cab or Uber/Lyft trip pays the same per-trip charge at any hour.

Rates below are Phase 1 (2025–2027) from the MTA toll schedule, as of October 12, 2026.

Peak and overnight hours

Source: TBTA CBD toll schedule. The MTA says overnight rates are "75% less than the respective rates in the standard peak period" (MTA).

A few edges drivers ask about:

• Friday night into Saturday: the weekday peak ends Friday at 9 p.m. The overnight rate then runs until 9 a.m. Saturday, because weekend peak starts later.
• Sunday night into Monday: overnight from 9 p.m. Sunday until 5 a.m. Monday.
• Holidays: the schedule has no holiday hours. It lists only weekdays and weekends.
• Which hour counts: a car pays once per day, at the rate in effect at its first entry that day. Entering at 4:45 a.m. on a weekday locks in the overnight rate for that day. See charged twice in one day?

Per-trip charges are flat, any time

TLC trips don't use peak and overnight at all. Under the MTA's per-trip plan, the passenger pays $0.75 on a taxi, green cab or regular FHV trip and $1.50 on an Uber or Lyft trip that goes to, from, within or through the zone. The MTA: "For both the peak and overnight period, the per-trip charge for high-volume for-hire vehicles is $1.50. For taxis, green cabs, and black cars, the per-trip charge is $0.75" (MTA).

So a 7 a.m. airport run that ends in Midtown and a 2 a.m. drop-off in SoHo carry the same charge. TLC trip records agree: on weekday trips charged the fee (September 2025 – August 2026), the average charge was $0.75 on yellow taxis and $1.50 on app trips in every hour of the day (our dataset trips-cbd-fee-by-hour). For when taxis and FHVs actually enter the zone, see entries by hour.

When riders travel matters more than the toll clock. The chart shows when Uber/Lyft and yellow taxi trips start across the day.

On weekends, the busy hours just after midnight fall in the overnight period. On weekdays, the morning rush starts after 5 a.m., so it falls in peak. For a personal car, that is the difference between $2.25 and $9.00 with E-ZPass.

What to do next

1. Driving for work in a TLC vehicle: you don't need to plan around peak hours. If your base or meter company is in the per-trip plan, the vehicle is not charged when it is not on a trip (TLC Industry Notice #24-10). Details: driving in empty.
2. Going in with your own car: enter before 5 a.m. (weekdays) or 9 a.m. (weekends), or after 9 p.m., to pay the overnight rate. Make sure your plate is on your E-ZPass account, or you pay the mail rate.
3. Coming through the Lincoln, Holland, Queens-Midtown or Carey tunnels at peak: you get a crossing credit with E-ZPass (crossing credits).

Related rules and exceptions

• FDR Drive and West Side Highway: driving only on these roads isn't tolled. See is the FDR charged?
• Gridlock Alert Days: the MTA has reserved the right to charge more on those days (Gridlock Alert Days).
• Lincoln Tunnel tolls use their own Port Authority peak hours, which are different (Lincoln Tunnel).
• Personal car rules in full: congestion pricing in your own car. All rates: Congestion Relief Zone toll. Overview: congestion pricing for TLC drivers. More in the tolls hub.