Congestion pricing: How many times can drivers be charged per day? Depends on the vehicle

Like it or not, congestion pricing has arrived — but not without questions from drivers.

While the MTA has tried to address many concerns both in the leadup to and after the plan went into effect, drivers still have not been completely sure of all the rules when it comes to who is charged, when they get charged, how many times they can be charged each day, and more.

Here is a breakdown of what the changes mean for drivers:

Who will be charged?

Almost all drivers of most cars, SUVs, small vans and pickup trucks.

Who is exempt?

Certain emergency vehicles, school buses, people with disabilities who can’t take public transportation, and the people who transport them are all exempt. Low-income drivers who pay the toll 10 times in a month can apply for a 50% discount on trips they take the rest of the month.

There's also a little break for those who have already paid a toll to enter Manhattan at the Lincoln Tunnel, Holland Tunnel, Queens-Midtown Tunnel or Hugh L. Carey Tunnel during peak hours. They should see a credit on their E-ZPass of up to $3 for passenger vehicles and more for trucks and buses.

Still, with tolls for bridges and tunnels from New Jersey set to go up in the new year, a driver coming via the Holland Tunnel during peak traffic could pay $22 even with the credit.

How much is the toll?

The cost to drivers depends on what time of the day it is and if drivers have an E-ZPass, an electronic toll collection system that’s used in many states.

During peak traffic hours, drivers with an E-ZPass will be charged $9, once per day. For off-peak hours, the tolls go down to $2.25.

Peak traffic hours will be from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays, and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends.

Drivers without an E-ZPass will receive bills by mail and pay more: $13.50 for peak hours and $3.30 off-peak.

Motorcyclists will pay half the amount that cars pay during peak. Drivers of buses and trucks, depending on their size, will pay more.

How many times can I be charged each day?

For most drivers, they will only be charged once per day.

According to the MTA, any common vehicle — including sedans, SUVs, station wagons — will only be charged once. Pickup trucks with factory beds, or with caps that are below the roofline and do not extend over the sides, fall under that same category. It also applies to hearses, limos and vans without an extended roof above the windshield.

The following will be charged every time they enter, no matter if it is on the same day:

• Pickup trucks with modified beds
• Pickup trucks with caps that go above the roofline or extend over the sides of the bed
• Vans that have been modified behind the driver's cab
• Multi-unit trucks, including articulated trucks where a power unit is carrying one or more trailers

When do drivers get charged?

The toll is charged when drivers enter the Congestion Relief Zone, below 61st Street in Manhattan. There is no charge for leaving the zone.

There are no additional tolls for driving around within the Congestion Relief Zone, no matter if it is the same day or any other day after that. Drivers will only be charged upon re-entering the area after they leave, assuming it occurs on a different day of when they entered the zone.

Will drivers using the West Side Highway or FDR Drive be charged?

Drivers won't be charged for using the West Side Highway or FDR Drive exclusively, but it depends on where the driver is heading.

Any driver heading straight through on the West Side Highway to the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel, or vice-versa, will not face a toll. Drivers staying on FDR Drive will also not have to pay, assuming they stay on the highway and do not enter Manhattan's street grid at any point.

Other drivers using the Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan Bridge and Williamsburg Bridge will be charged if the trip cannot be completed without remaining "exclusively on highways." For example, drivers on going from the FDR to the Brooklyn Bridge without using side streets, so they won't face a toll. Same goes for cars coming from the Brooklyn Bridge onto the northbound side of the FDR.

However, cars coming off the Brooklyn Bridge onto the southbound lanes of FDR Drive will be tolled, because vehicles enter the street grid at Pearl Street in lower Manhattan. Same goes for drivers going from the FDR to the Manhattan Bridge or Williamsburg Bridge.

For those between FDR Drive and Queensboro Bridge, it will be tolled as well, with one exception: Those traveling from Queens to the Upper East Side on the bridge's upper level, because that exit dumps out onto East 62nd Street — above the Congestion Relief Zone.

Can cars avoid the toll by parking just off an excluded roadway (like the FDR or West Side Highway)?

No. The MTA said that vehicles entering the Congestion Relief Zone on roads like FDR Drive or West Side Highway and then are no longer seen by cameras at other detection points will be charged a toll.

What about taxi or Uber rides?

Passengers in taxis and for-hire vehicles will have a per-trip surcharge added to their fares for rides to, from, within or through the Congestion Relief Zone. That charge is 75 cents for people taking taxis, green cabs and black cars, and $1.50 for Uber or Lyft passengers.