The toll, known as congestion pricing, is meant to reduce traffic gridlock while also raising money to help fix New York's ailing public transit infrastructure.

Starting just after midnight on Sunday, drivers began paying a new fee to enter the heart of Manhattan. The toll is part of New York City’s plan to reduce some of the world’s heaviest traffic while raising billions of dollars to pay for improvements to mass transit.

Congestion pricing is now in effect in NYC, and drivers faced the first weekday commute with the controversial new tolling system.

New York is now charging a $9 toll during daytime hours for passenger vehicles driving in Manhattan south of 60th Street as part of the United States’ first-ever congestion pricing plan.

The program had defied many obstacles over the course of decades. It debuted over the weekend on what seemed to be a successful first day.

The countdown to congestion pricing in New York City is over. Drivers now must pay a toll to enter Manhattan south of 60th Street.

New York City's controversial new toll could hurt small businesses by making deliveries more expensive--or help them by easing up on traffic.

Congestion pricing has finally arrived in New York City after years of political bickering and scores of legal challenges. The first initiative of its kind in the US, the $9 toll for most drivers entering parts of Manhattan during peak hours began Sunday and promises to ease both gridlock and pollution while also raising $15 billion for desperately needed subway upgrades.