For New York City businesses, getting products, employees and services from one place to another has never been simple—or inexpensive. Tolls, parking fees, fuel, traffic delays, tickets and limited loading zones can turn an ordinary delivery into a significant operating expense.

Congestion pricing has added another cost for businesses that operate in or regularly enter Manhattan’s Congestion Relief Zone below 60th Street. While the program may reduce traffic and improve travel times, merchants still need to manage the toll alongside their existing transportation expenses.

The good news is that businesses have several ways to reduce these costs, improve delivery efficiency and recover margin elsewhere in their operations.

Understanding the Cost of Entering Manhattan’s Congestion Zone

The Congestion Relief Zone toll varies according to the vehicle, time of day, payment method and entry route.

As of August 2026, passenger vehicles and small commercial vehicles with a valid E-ZPass are generally charged $9 during peak hours and $2.25 overnight. Small trucks pay $14.40 during peak hours, while large trucks pay $21.60. Peak hours run from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends.

Vehicles are generally charged once per day, although the exact rules depend on vehicle classification. Crossing credits may also be available when entering through the Lincoln, Holland, Queens-Midtown or Hugh L. Carey tunnels. Review current toll rates and credits through the MTA.

A single toll may appear manageable, but the cost adds up quickly. A service business sending a small commercial vehicle into the zone 20 days per month could spend approximately $180 per month—or $2,160 per year—on congestion tolls alone. That does not include bridge and tunnel tolls, parking, fuel, vehicle maintenance or tickets.

For businesses operating multiple vehicles, the annual impact can be considerably higher.

Less Traffic May Create Opportunities for Savings

Congestion pricing is not entirely a one-sided expense. The NYC Comptroller reported that bus speeds inside the zone improved modestly during 2025 and that travel times on several routes into and across the zone improved substantially.

Faster trips could allow some businesses to:

• Complete more deliveries or service appointments each day
• Reduce driver overtime
• Spend less fuel idling in traffic
• Improve delivery-window accuracy
• Reduce missed appointments
• Serve a larger geographic area with the same fleet

Businesses should therefore evaluate the program based on its net effect, not simply the toll. If a $9 charge saves a driver 30 or 45 minutes, the time and labor savings could offset part—or occasionally all—of that expense.

The key is measuring what is actually happening in your business. See the NYC Comptroller’s one-year congestion-pricing analysis.

Seven Ways NYC Businesses Can Control Transportation Costs

1. Consolidate deliveries and service calls

Instead of sending vehicles into Manhattan several times a week, combine orders or appointments whenever possible. A restaurant might coordinate produce, beverage and supply deliveries on fewer days. A contractor might schedule multiple jobs in the same neighborhood on the same day.

Route consolidation can reduce tolls, fuel consumption, driver hours and vehicle wear.

2. Move eligible trips to off-peak hours

Overnight congestion-zone tolls are 75% lower than standard peak-period rates. For a small commercial vehicle with E-ZPass, that can mean paying $2.25 rather than $9.

Restaurants, retailers, wholesalers and construction-related businesses should ask vendors whether early-morning or overnight deliveries are available. The savings must be weighed against staffing and security considerations, but the difference can become meaningful for frequent deliveries.

3. Use an eligible E-ZPass account

Businesses without a valid E-ZPass generally pay higher toll rates. Confirm that every company vehicle is properly listed on the account and that license plate information is current.

Businesses should also reconcile E-ZPass statements against vehicle logs. Incorrect classifications, missing crossing credits and unrecognized trips can otherwise go unnoticed.

4. Review available credits and exemptions

Businesses should not assume that they qualify for an exemption simply because a vehicle is used commercially. However, certain vehicles, organizations and drivers may be eligible for exemptions or discounts.

Qualifying vehicles transporting people with disabilities, certain commuter vans, school buses and authorized emergency vehicles are among those that may receive special treatment. Businesses can review eligibility through the MTA’s discounts and exemptions page.

5. Negotiate transportation costs with suppliers

Ask vendors whether congestion tolls are already included in their delivery pricing. If a supplier adds a separate transportation fee, request documentation explaining how it is calculated.

Businesses with multiple vendors may also be able to negotiate:

• Minimum-order thresholds for free delivery
• Fewer, larger deliveries
• Fixed monthly delivery charges
• Shared deliveries with nearby businesses
• Off-peak delivery schedules
• Customer pickup from an outer-borough warehouse

Merchants should watch for duplicated charges, particularly when several customers are served by a vehicle during the same trip into the zone.

6. Improve routing and loading-zone planning

A delivery vehicle that circles the block looking for parking consumes fuel, wastes labor and increases the likelihood of a ticket.

Route-planning and fleet-management technology can help businesses group stops, account for traffic and identify the most efficient sequence. Drivers should also receive clear instructions about legal loading areas, commercial parking rules and delivery windows.

Tracking tickets by driver, location and cause can reveal preventable patterns. If one location repeatedly produces parking violations, the business may need to adjust the delivery time, vehicle type or unloading procedure.

7. Calculate the true cost of each trip

A delivery’s cost is more than fuel and tolls. Businesses should consider:

• Driver wages and overtime
• Congestion-zone charges
• Bridge and tunnel tolls
• Parking
• Tickets
• Fuel
• Insurance
• Vehicle maintenance
• Lost productivity from delays

Once these costs are known, merchants can establish appropriate delivery minimums, geographic service areas or delivery charges. A business may discover that certain low-value deliveries are actually unprofitable.

Offset Another Major Expense With Dual Pricing

Transportation costs may be rising, but they are not the only expenses reducing merchant margins. Credit card processing fees can quietly consume 2% to 4% or more of card sales, depending on the merchant, card mix and pricing arrangement.

A compliant dual-pricing program can help businesses reduce the cost of accepting payments by displaying both a cash price and a card price. Customers receive a discount for paying with cash, while the card price accounts for the additional cost associated with card acceptance.

For example, a business processing $50,000 per month at an effective processing cost of 3% could be spending approximately $1,500 per month, or $18,000 per year, on payment processing. Reducing that expense can free up money to help absorb tolls, parking, delivery and other operational costs.

Dual pricing does not make congestion tolls disappear. Instead, it helps the business recover margin in an area it can control.

It can be particularly valuable for:

• Restaurants and cafés
• Auto repair and service businesses
• Contractors and home-service providers
• Medical, dental and veterinary practices
• Specialty retailers
• Wholesalers and distributors
• Businesses providing local delivery

Dual pricing must be implemented correctly. Prices should be clearly communicated before the customer pays, and the equipment, signage and receipts should accurately reflect the pricing structure. Merchants should work with a knowledgeable payment provider to ensure the program follows applicable card-brand rules and New York requirements.

New York also has specific requirements for businesses imposing credit-card surcharges, including how the total price is displayed. Dual pricing and surcharging are related but distinct approaches, so merchants should not attempt to build a program simply by adding an unexpected fee at checkout. Review New York’s official credit-card surcharge guidance.

Protecting Margins Requires a Broader Strategy

NYC merchants cannot control every toll, regulation or parking restriction. They can, however, control how efficiently trips are scheduled, how vendor charges are negotiated, how routes are planned and how payment costs are managed.

The strongest strategy combines several smaller improvements:

• Consolidate trips
• Schedule off-peak deliveries where practical
• Verify toll charges and credits
• Reduce preventable parking tickets
• Negotiate clearer delivery pricing
• Measure the full cost of every route
• Consider dual pricing to reduce payment-processing expenses

No single change will solve every cost challenge. But taken together, these steps can help merchants preserve margins without relying exclusively on across-the-board price increases.

In a city where nearly every trip carries a cost, operational efficiency matters. The businesses that understand where their money is going—and take action to recover it—will be better positioned to remain competitive.