Buses And Tolls: Who Pays When?

The question of whether buses should pay tolls is a complex one, with arguments both for and against. On the one hand, buses are an essential form of mass transportation that helps to reduce congestion and improve air quality by providing an alternative to private cars. From this perspective, exempting buses from tolls can be seen as a way to encourage their use and reduce traffic. On the other hand, toll charges are often necessary to generate revenue for the maintenance and improvement of transportation infrastructure. Additionally, buses, especially diesel buses, can also contribute to congestion and pollution, particularly in urban areas. Ultimately, the decision to include or exempt buses from toll charges depends on a variety of factors, including the specific goals of the tolling program, the impact on bus companies and riders, and the broader transportation context of the region.

Do buses pay tolls?

Should riders pay for bus tolls?

The question of whether riders should pay for bus tolls is a complex one, with arguments to be made for both sides. On the one hand, buses play a crucial role in reducing congestion and pollution by providing an efficient mode of transportation for multiple people who might otherwise resort to using their cars. From this perspective, exempting buses from tolls can be seen as a way to encourage the use of mass transportation and reduce the number of vehicles on the road. This approach is supported by Joseph Schwieterman, a professor at DePaul University who studies buses. He argues that buses should pay little to nothing in congestion pricing programs because, while they do cause congestion, they are much more effective in limiting it.

However, there are also valid arguments for including buses in toll charges. For instance, exempting buses would create a challenge for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to meet its state mandate to generate at least $1 billion in revenue annually. Additionally, private bus companies have expressed concerns about the negative impact of steep toll charges on their businesses, which could ultimately result in increased costs for riders.

In the context of New York City, the discussion around bus tolls is particularly relevant. The MTA is considering whether to include buses in its congestion pricing proposal for entering midtown Manhattan. While only a minority of the presented tolling scenarios exempt all buses, the decision has sparked a debate among various stakeholders. Private bus companies, such as Coach USA, argue that they have been actively reducing congestion and should, therefore, be exempt from toll charges. On the other hand, advocates for toll inclusion point to cities like London, Stockholm, and Singapore, where congestion pricing models have existed for years and buses are included in the charging scheme.

Ultimately, the decision to include or exempt buses from toll charges has financial, logistical, and environmental implications. While riders may not directly pay for bus tolls in some cases, increased operational costs for bus companies could result in higher fares over time. Finding a balance between encouraging mass transportation and generating sufficient revenue to maintain and improve transportation infrastructure is a challenging task for transportation authorities. The specific circumstances and needs of each city or region should be carefully considered when determining the most equitable approach to toll charges.

Pros and cons of bus toll exemption

Pros

• Buses reduce congestion by simultaneously shuttling multiple people who otherwise might have resorted to a car.
• Exempting buses from tolls encourages people to switch to public transit, reducing the number of vehicles on the road.
• Exempting buses from tolls can improve air quality as fewer cars on the road means reduced pollution.
• Exempting buses is in line with the goals of congestion pricing models, which are to get people into mass transit, get cars off the road, reduce congestion and carbon emissions.
• Exempting buses can help facilitate emergency evacuations and provide expedited travel for first responders in times of disasters and emergencies.

Cons

• Buses, especially diesel buses, can add to congestion and pollution.
• Exempting buses would not help meet state mandates or targets to generate revenue through tolls.
• Exempting buses may require an increase in overall toll rates for other vehicles, to make up for the loss in revenue.
• If private bus companies are exempt from tolls, it may be unfair to other private companies, such as taxi and rideshare services, that have to pay tolls.

Congestion pricing and bus toll charges

Congestion pricing is a system of surcharging users of public goods that are subject to congestion through excess demand. It is a way of using market forces to reduce the waste associated with traffic congestion. Congestion pricing discourages discretionary rush-hour highway travel, shifting it to other transportation modes or off-peak periods. By removing even a small fraction of vehicles from a congested road, pricing can enable the system to flow much more efficiently, allowing more cars to move through the same physical space.

There are four main types of congestion pricing strategies:

• Cordon charges: Either variable or fixed charges to drive within or into a congested area within a city. For example, drivers may have to pay a fee to enter a restricted area in a city center.
• Area-wide charges: Per-mile charges on all roads within an area that may vary by the level of congestion.
• Variable tolls on roadways: Flat toll rates on existing toll roads are changed to a variable toll schedule, with higher rates during peak travel hours and lower rates during off-peak hours.
• Variably priced lanes: Variable tolls on separated lanes within a highway, such as Express Toll Lanes or High Occupancy Toll (HOT) Lanes.

Congestion pricing has been implemented in various cities around the world, including London, Stockholm, Milan, Gothenburg, and Singapore. In the United States, there have been discussions and proposals for congestion pricing in cities such as New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

Now, let's focus on the topic of bus toll charges. The question of whether buses should pay tolls is part of the broader discussion of congestion pricing. Buses play a dual role in congestion: they contribute to it, but they also significantly reduce it by transporting multiple people who might otherwise drive cars. This conundrum is particularly relevant in the context of congestion pricing proposals, such as the one considered by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) for midtown Manhattan.

In the case of the MTA's proposal, only two out of seven tolling scenarios exempt all buses, and a third scenario exempts only transit buses and buses contracted by public agencies. Exempting buses helps achieve several objectives of the congestion pricing plan, such as reducing the number of vehicles, improving air quality, and encouraging the use of mass transportation. However, it also poses a challenge in meeting the revenue target of $1 billion annually.

Proponents of exempting buses from tolls argue that buses already reduce congestion and that charging them would go against the goal of encouraging public transportation use. On the other hand, including buses in congestion pricing could generate significant revenue, especially from private bus companies. However, this could lead to increased costs for customers or negatively impact the bus business, which is still recovering from the pandemic.

In summary, the debate around bus toll charges is complex and involves weighing the benefits of reduced congestion and increased revenue against the potential drawbacks on the bus industry and commuters. Ultimately, the decision on whether to include or exempt buses from toll charges depends on the specific objectives and trade-offs of each congestion pricing proposal.

Franchise bus toll rates

The topic of whether buses should pay tolls is a complex issue, with valid arguments on both sides. Buses play a crucial role in reducing congestion and improving air quality by transporting multiple passengers who might otherwise opt for a car. However, toll exemptions for buses can result in a loss of revenue for transportation authorities, such as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) in New York.

• Bronx-Whitestone, Throgs Neck, Robert F. Kennedy, and Verrazzano-Narrows Bridges; Hugh L. Carey and Queens Midtown Tunnels: 2 axles - $4.43, 3 axles - $5.26
• Cross Bay and Marine Parkway Bridges: 2 axles - $2.21, 3 axles - $2.77

It is important to note that these rates apply to E-Z Pass customers, specifically those with tags issued by the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, the New York State Thruway Authority, and MTA Bridges and Tunnels. Customers without an E-Z Pass will be charged different rates.

The impact of toll increases on bus companies and riders is a concern. While bus companies may face higher costs, agencies have stated that riders will not bear the burden of increased tolls. For example, in 2011, NJ Transit estimated that bus tolls would more than double, but the agency assured that these higher costs would not be passed on to riders.

The debate around bus toll exemptions is ongoing, and it is a challenge to balance the benefits of reduced congestion and improved air quality with the financial needs of transportation authorities.

Bus lane enforcement

The Automated Bus Lane Enforcement (ABLE) system, for example, uses two types of bus-mounted cameras, a purpose-built computer with internal sensors, a GPS receiver, and a cellular router. The front-facing camera records video of the entire scene, while the mobile Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) camera captures vehicle license plate information. The context and ALPR cameras work together to capture the license plate details of any vehicle violating the posted bus lane restriction.

The ABLE system has been implemented in New York City on 14 bus routes across Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, and the Bronx. The program has been shown to increase bus lane speeds by 5%, reduce collisions by 20%, and reduce emissions by 5% to 10%. In addition, only 9% of drivers commit another bus lane violation after being fined.

Overall, bus lane enforcement is an important tool for improving the efficiency and reliability of public transit, reducing congestion, and enhancing the passenger experience.

Frequently asked questions