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TRANSIT UNION RIPS CONGESTION PRICING AS ‘THINLY VEILED’ MTA CASH GRAB

By Matthew Sedacca

Published Sep. 23, 2023, 2:30 p.m. ET

The head of the Transportation Workers Union excoriated MTA boss Janno Lieber as
treating the city’s congestion-pricing scheme as a “thinly veiled” cash cow for
the agency. 


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TWU International President John Samuelsen, a member of the Traffic Mobility
Review Board assigned to set congestion pricing fees and exemptions, bashed the
MTA chairman as being “laser-focused” on revenue generation — rather than
improving air quality or reducing traffic.

“It’s very reasonable to conclude that Janno is laser-focused on the revenue
generation side of the new tolling system and he doesn’t care about reducing
congestion,” Samuelsen told The Post. 

“He is not taking logical steps to incentivize in the best way possible those
who currently drive to . . . use public transit as their commuting option.” 

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The contentious tolling scheme, which will ding drivers who enter Manhattan
below 60th Street up to $23, was greenlit by the Biden administration in June
and is expected to begin in May.  

Samuelsen questioned why the MTA isn’t expanding subway and bus services to
entice new riders alongside the introduction of congestion pricing, poo-pooing
Lieber’s reasoning at a recent MTA board meeting that ridership has yet to
recover to pre-pandemic levels and can absorb more customers at the current
service levels. 

TWU boss John Samuelsen blasted MTA CEO Janno Lieber for treating congestion
pricing largely as a cash grab for the agency.JUSTIN LANE/EPA-EFE/REX

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Samuelsen griped that the MTA is not making a legitimate effort to entice
drivers who can afford the toll to ditch their cars for public transit. Robert
Miller

“To get people out of their cars and back on transit, you don’t do that by
declaring there’s room in the system and people should come,” he said. “It’s
ridiculous and it’s thinly veiled.” 

The TWU boss’s criticisms echo those of many outer-borough pols, who worry their
streets could become jam-packed with motorists looking to avoid the hefty
congestion pricing tolls while filling the cash-strapped coffers of the MTA. 

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“If they want more New Yorkers to ride public transit, they should make it
safer, add more cops, and penalize turnstile jumping to make everyone pay their
fair share,” said Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-SI/Brooklyn). 

Lieber said ridership is still below pre-pandemic levels and can absorb new
customers generated by the tolling system. James Messerschmidt

“Stop treating commuters like bottomless ATMs to fund the MTA’s incompetence.”

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NYC Transit President Richard Davey ripped Samuelsen’s criticism as “a stretch.”

What do you think? Post a comment.

“Ridership is down by 2 million trips per day and the system can easily handle
ten times more riders than the 72,300 to 110,000 people per day projected to
switch to transit after congestion pricing takes effect,” he said.

An MTA spokeswoman added that revenue generation is a key component of the
congestion pricing plan, with state legislation requiring that it generate $15
billion to fund the agency’s $52 billion capital plan.


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