Lyft will credit NYC riders for congestion fee throughout January

New York City’s congestion pricing is scheduled to take effect Sunday — but for the first month, Lyft said it will be crediting riders who pay the fee.

New York’s program, which is supposed to reduce traffic in lower Manhattan while also raising funding for mass transit, was paused by Governor Kathy Hochul in June, then eventually reinstated at a reduced price. There are different prices for different vehicles at different times — during daytime hours, it will cost $9 to drive a regular car in Manhattan below 60th St, while someone using a ride-hailing service like Uber or Lyft will pay $1.50 per ride.

Lyft passengers will be charged like everyone else, but the company said that throughout January, they’ll get the money back in credits that can be spent on Lyft or Citi Bike for the following week.

Lyft also noted that the new fee comes on top of an existing $2.75 congestion fee for rides that begin, end, or pass through Manhattan below 96th St. So it described the credit as “a small gesture to help people adjust to another new expense – even as we work to reduce the overall cost of rides.”