Manhattan, New York has become the first area in the United States to be approved to charge additional tolls: an estimated annual income of $1 billion will promote the electrification of public transportation

CTOnews.com, June 27 (AP)-A new plan in New York City has been approved by the federal government to charge high tolls for vehicles entering the most visited areas of Manhattan, in an effort to reduce traffic congestion, improve air quality and raise money for the city's public transportation system.

Under one of several charging options being considered, drivers entering south of 60th Street in Manhattan could be charged as much as $23 a day (CTOnews.com Note: currently about 167RMB), the exact amount of which has yet to be decided by the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The program is expected to be launched as early as the spring of 2024, when the region will become the first area in the United States to be approved to charge additional tolls for vehicles.

The new toll plan is expected to generate $1 billion (currently about 7.24 billion yuan) a year, which will be used to upgrade New York's subway, bus and commuter rail systems, and environmentally friendly electric buses will be an important investment direction.

Vehicles heading to Manhattan already have to pay large tolls to pass through many bridges and tunnels connecting the Hudson, East and Harlem Rivers, and the new special tolls will be levied separately for the congested south side of Manhattan. Some taxi and car service drivers who need to travel frequently to and from the south of Manhattan oppose the plan, but the New York government says it will set a cap on tolls for rental vehicles.