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.

WASHINGTON: New York City drivers on Monday had to pay US$9 to enter Manhattan under the first such congestion fee in the US, which seeks to raise billions for mass transit and reduce traffic jams. Th