New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani celebrated one year of congestion pricing on Monday. 

The two were joined by MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber, as the agency released new data showing the results so far. 

According to the MTA, traffic in the congestion zone is down by 11% since the start of the program, with 27 million fewer cars entering the zone in 2025. Hochul said travel times through the Lincoln and Holland tunnels are both down. 

"This is a program that has been successful"  

"Anyone trying to kill this program, tell it to the judge, because they're going to be on our side," Hochul said. 

In total, according to Hochul, congestion pricing raised about $550 million for the MTA in 2025, $50 million more than originally projected.

"So to those individuals who are driving in, their quality of life has improved as well, and I'm really proud of that, and I hope they understand what this program did for them," Hochul said. 

"This is a program that has been successful no matter how you measure it," Mamdani said.  

"This is good government in action," Lieber said. "This demonstrates what business-like government management can accomplish." 

Some drivers, however, don't match their optimism. 

"It's crazy. It's, like, taking money from us working people," driver Jesus Houwen said. 

Driver Maxfield Mascarin said he's noticed a difference in traffic, to a certain extent. 

"Not significant enough to where there's no traffic," Mascarin said. 

"I personally don't like it. If anything, they should be less for just being able to travel on the road or in the city," driver Carlos Fuentes said. 

Other drivers, however, were on board. 

"I understand, you know, a lot of people -- it's hard, you know, especially with this economy, but the traffic is a lot better," Lesley Delahoz said. 

For Hudson Square, "It works great for us"

"For our neighborhood, it is worth it," said Samarak Karasyk of the Hudson Square Business Improvement District. "It works great for us. 

Karasyk says the $9 per vehicle access to the congestion pricing zone below 60th Street has made a noticeable reduction in traffic for the busy neighborhood right near the Holland Tunnel. 

In the neighborhood, where 90% of the people are walking, biking or taking public transit to work, there was a 23% increase in transit ridership in 2025 versus 2024, and an 18% increase in foot traffic for the same time period. 

"They are not driving here, and the traffic is coming through here. So most of our neighborhood is very supportive of congestion pricing," Karasyk said. 

Hudson Square is just one piece of the bigger puzzle. 

"The cameras are staying on," Hochul said. 

The announcement comes as Mamdani has promised to deliver free buses for New York City residents.