Congestion pricing delayed in NYC

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - It was a big relief for New York City taxi drivers Thursday. They had been fighting a congestion pricing plan that was supposed to go into effect at the beginning of January. Then, the date was postponed after taxi medallion owners filed a lawsuit against the city and state. Now, it’s been postponed once again— giving drivers more fuel to keep up their fight.

The state passed a congestion pricing plan last year that would create a $2.50 surcharge for yellow cabs and a $2.75 surcharge for green cabs and for-hire cars, like Uber and Lyft. It would be for all rides below 96th street in Manhattan. The plan was supposed to start January 1st, but got pushed back. In court Thursday, it was put on hold again until January 31st to give both sides more time to make arguments in this case.

"We would like to see the restraining order remain in effect until this case reaches its ultimate conclusion. We’d like to absolutely see an exemption for yellows and greens," said Bhairavi Desai, executive director of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance. 

In a statement, a LYFT spokesperson tells Fox 5:  "While Lyft supports the surcharge as a meaningful first step towards addressing congestion and transit challenges in New York City, in order to truly address these issues, it's imperative that all vehicles - including personal and commercial - are included in this effort. We look forward to working in partnership with Governor Cuomo and New York lawmakers on holistic solutions for New York."

A spokesperson for Governor Cuomo’s office tells Fox 5:  "The decision to further delay the implementation of this law will cost the MTA more than $1 million each day. The law, which was approved by the Legislature, will generate hundreds of millions of dollars to improve the subway, and we intend to defend it vigorously at the next court date so that New Yorkers have a safe, reliable transportation system."