Do I Pay Congestion Pricing Driving Empty Into Manhattan?

Usually no. If your FHV base (including Uber or Lyft) or your taxi's technology system provider is enrolled in the MTA's Per-Trip Charge Plan, your vehicle is not charged when it drives into the zone empty. TLC's notice says that under the plan, "taxis, SHLs, and FHVs would not be charged unless the vehicle is on a trip" (TLC Industry Notice #24-10).

The charge belongs to the trip, and the passenger pays it: $0.75 per taxi, green cab or regular FHV trip, $1.50 per Uber/Lyft trip, as of October 12, 2026.

The short answer, case by case

What happens if your base is not enrolled

The plan only works through a company. FHV bases must sign an agreement with the MTA to collect and send in the charge, and taxi technology system providers (TSPs) must do the same (MTA). Without it, TLC says the vehicle "may be charged a $9 toll up to once per day paid by the vehicle owner, instead of the per-trip charge paid by the passenger."

The MTA's own data confirms how the cameras treat these vehicles: TLC vehicles not in a per-trip plan "are tolled by vehicle class" like any other car (t6yz-b64h column notes). The $9 in TLC's notice is the peak E-ZPass car rate; a car toll is charged at most once per calendar day.

TLC trip records show the charge on about a third of Uber/Lyft trips and on most yellow taxi trips (zone trip statistics), so those trips are being handled as per-trip charges. For a smaller base, ask. The details of what a base signs are in how the per-trip charge plan works.

Common situations

• Drop-off in Queens, back to Midtown empty: no charge for the drive back if your vehicle is in the plan. The trip you just finished was charged only if it touched the zone.
• Waiting for a ping in the zone: no charge for waiting or cruising. (Uber and Lyft face separate TLC limits on cruising time below 96th Street; see the cruising cap.)
• Taking your TLC car home through the zone after a shift: under the plan, the vehicle isn't charged when not on a trip. If the plan doesn't cover it, the regular toll applies.
• Only on the FDR Drive or West Side Highway: those roads are excluded for cars, but see the FDR question for trips.
• Several entries in one day, personal car: see charged twice in one day?.

What to do next

1. Ask your base or garage whether it has signed the MTA per-trip plan.
2. If you own the vehicle, read its E-ZPass statements. Congestion tolls appear with the agency label CBDTP.
3. If you lease, keep copies of any toll charges you are billed, with dates and times, and compare them with your trips.
4. Questions the base can't answer: CRZtaxifhv-support@mta.info (IN24-10).

Related rules and exceptions

• Commuter vans licensed by TLC can apply for an exemption under the MTA's Commuter Bus Exemption Plan.
• Your personal car follows the private-car rules: congestion pricing in your own car. You cannot use a personal car for Uber in NYC without TLC licensing: personal car for Uber?
• Tolls on bridges and tunnels are separate from the congestion charge. The East River bridges are entry points to the zone too: East River bridges. Trips to New Jersey: are there tolls going to New Jersey?
• How many taxis and FHVs drive in each month: entries data.

Overview of both congestion charges: congestion pricing for TLC drivers. More in the tolls hub.