New York becomes the first US city with a congestion charge despite opposition

New York: Starting now, if you’re driving into Manhattan’s busiest areas, be ready to shell out up to $9 for congestion charges. Yep, the city just kicked off its first-ever Congestion Relief Zone.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced that this zone went live at the crack of midnight on Sunday. They’re saying it’s all systems go.

This whole plan is aimed at tackling New York’s notorious traffic jams and raising funds for public transport. And guess what? It’s happening even with some last-minute protests from New Jersey and local folks, including President-elect Donald Trump.

So, here’s the deal: most cars rolling into Manhattan’s central business district, which stretches from 60th Street down to the Financial District, will have to pay a peak fee of $9 during busy hours. That’s from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends.

If you’re hitting the road during off-peak times, you’ll get a sweet 75% discount, bringing it down to just $2.25.

For small trucks and noncommuter buses, the fee is $14.40 during peak times, while larger trucks and tourist buses will be charged $21.60.

Don’t worry too much, though. You’ll only get charged once a day. Plus, there are exemptions for certain emergency vehicles, low-income drivers, and folks with medical issues that make public transport tough. School and commuter buses are off the hook too.

The MTA is betting that this will cut down car and truck traffic by about 10%. They’re also promising that the billions raised will help modernize the whole transit system in the area.

This program got a second chance after Governor Kathy Hochul pushed to bring it back after two years of delays and complaints from commuters and businesses who think the fees are a bit much.

But the real rush was to get this approved before Trump takes office in January. He’s a New Yorker and has said he wants to scrap the plan when he’s back in the White House, with Republicans already urging him to step in.

Despite New Jersey’s last-ditch effort to block the charges on environmental grounds, they kicked off as planned. New Jersey filed a lawsuit, claiming it could harm the environment if traffic worsens on their side of the river.

A judge did say the Federal Highway Administration needs to weigh in, but the MTA told NBC New York last week that they had the green light to roll out the congestion pricing.

In response to New Jersey’s lawsuit, Hochul mentioned she offered some cash to settle things, but no agreement was reached.

“We’ve made multiple offers to settle this lawsuit, very generous offers,” she said.

While New York is the first U.S. city to adopt this kind of pricing, cities like London and Stockholm have been doing it for ages.

This story first appeared on NBCNews.com.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com.