Congestion Pricing Comes to NYC

Challenge:

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) faced the complex task of educating the public about the new Central Business District Tolling Program (CBDTP), commonly known as congestion pricing, which launched recently in New York City. With significant public interest and concern about this groundbreaking policy, the MTA needed a comprehensive awareness campaign to inform drivers across the diverse New York metropolitan area about the program’s details, benefits, and implementation.

The challenge was multifaceted: reaching a broad, multicultural audience across the 5,000 square mile MTA service area, addressing concerns about the new tolling system, and ensuring clear communication about how congestion pricing would improve transit and quality of life. The campaign needed to be accessible in multiple languages and reach both daily commuters and general audiences through their preferred media channels.

Strategy:

Miller developed a comprehensive multi-channel awareness campaign leveraging high-performing platforms including search for immediate information needs, video and streaming audio for engaging content delivery, and top online platforms for broad social reach. Traditional radio spots as well as print ads targeted specific ethnic communities through culturally relevant stations and publications.

Multi-language approach: Content was delivered in 9 languages (English, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, Bengali, Haitian, Korean, Russian, and Urdu) to reach New York’s diverse population.

Results:

The campaign helped to successfully educate commuters about congestion pricing benefits, toll rates, and implementation details. With strong outreach to the public including drivers, the MTA reports that CBD tolling has been successfulin reducing traffic, improving commute times, and generating revenue for transit, with over 1 million fewer vehicles entering the Central Business District and significant increases in travel speeds and subway ridership since its January 2025 launch.