Private bus operator shocked they won’t be exempt from NYC’s congestion toll plan: ‘Part of the solution’
A private bus operator that transports millions of tourists into New York City is fuming that they could be forced to fork over big bucks as part of a planned congestion toll to enter midtown.
Coach USA and its subsidiary Megabus said its stunned their charter buses won’t be exempt from the toll as it estimates transporting between 9 and 12 million passengers into the congestion zone each year.
“It’s confounding. It. doesn’t make any sense,” vice president of public affairs Dan Rodriguez told The Post.
“We’re doing what the congestion pricing law is designed to do: Get people into mass transit, get cars off the road, reduce congestion and carbon emissions,” he said. “We’re part of the solution and a public benefit that should not be penalized with tolls.”
The MTA’s controversial new congestion pricing program will — barring last minute changes — charge charter and intercity buses coming into the business district south of 60th Street $24 and tour buses $36.
He said the privately run bus service helps keep millions of additional cars from clogging Midtown streets. The double decker Megabus seats up to 81 passengers.
Megabus alone has 196 daily routes serving 4 stops in Manhattan.
The bus operators would have to raise prices on passengers to cover the cost, he said.
“The last thing we want to do is raise the price. People are price-sensitive,” he said.
Similar or identical bus services are exempt from the congestion toll in other cities where it’s imposed — London, Stockholm and Singapore, Rodriguez said.
Transport For London — on its website — said buses from European Economic Area member states that register with the transit agency qualify for an exemption from the congestion toll there.
Rodriguez said the company’s customers include people headed into New York for work, for Broadway shows, or to attend conferences and special events — pumping billions of dollars into New York’s economy.
Megabus/Coach USA also brings in travelers from other cities within New York State and other parts of the northeast and country — such as Albany and Washington, DC. Many college students use the service, he added.
Rodriguez said the Megabus/Coach USA has appealed to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office to reconsider imposing a toll on private buses that bring passengers into the business/entertainment center — and exempt them as they do other government-run or contracted commuter bus services.
Buses that come in via the tolled tunnels that border Midtown will get a credit off the congestion toll.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority plans to implement the Midtown toll as early as mid-June, officials said in a recent court proceeding. Individual drivers in cars would pay $15.
The program is being challenged in court by others opposed to the toll — including the United Federation of Teachers, Staten Island Borough President Fossella and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy.
The coming toll has sparked a backlash in the city’s workforce — including from first responders such as ambulance workers and educators who are assigned to stations and schools in the zone and drive in to work.
The MTA defended the toll on private bus lines recommended by its Traffic Mobility Review Board, saying the private buses contribute to downtown congestion.
A spokesperson referred to a section in the TMRB’s recommendation that concluded, “Intercity buses do not serve commuters on a daily basis, although they do provide an efficient, quasi-transit option, especially for people of more moderate means.”
“They should be charged $24. Tour buses don’t serve a quasi-public transit role and should be charged $36 for the disproportionate congestion they cause in the CBD.”
