New congestion pricing, which New York State Gov. Kathy Hochul put into effect on Jan. 5, is costing Chevra Hatzalah Volunteer Ambulance Service $250 in daily fees, Rabbi Yehiel Kalish, CEO of Hatzalah, told JNS.

Under the new pricing, drivers of cars and small trucks pay $9 tolls when they enter Manhattan south of 60th Street during peak times and $2.25 when off-peak. Motorcycles pay $4.50 (peak) and $1.05 (off-peak) and trucks and buses pay between $14.40 and $21.60 (peak) and between $3.60 and $5.40 (off-peak), per the New York City government.

Peak times run from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends, per the city, which adds that under certain circumstances, those with E-ZPasses can receive discounts. The city also states that “qualifying authorized emergency vehicles (ambulances and fire vehicles)” are exempt from the congestion pricing.

Kalish told JNS that Hatzalah ambulances are exempt. However, the volunteer service is awaiting the finalization of laws to ensure that its volunteers aren’t charged when they use their own vehicles in an emergency.

“The difference between Hatzalah and the New York City Fire Department is that our personal vehicles are classified under New York state law as EASVs, which stands for emergency assistance vehicles,” Kalish said.

That means that under state law, volunteers’ vehicles are considered ambulances, according to the Hatzalah CEO. But when the Metropolitan Transportation Authority “wrote the language within the exemption of congestion pricing, they wrote it in such a way that the EASVs have to be company-owned to qualify for an exemption,” Kalish said.

“Our EASVs are not under a corporate account. They’re personal vehicles because Hatzalah is a very unique system within the world of emergency medical services,” he said.

Kalish told JNS that judging the call volume that Hatzalah has received since Jan. 5, he estimates that its volunteers have been paying $250 daily in toll fees.

“Within the context of emergency medical services, we are worried about the impact that this is going to have,” he said. “As it relates to Hatzalah, we have taken this seriously from day one, and for the last two years we have been working with the MTA, the governor’s office, New York City and the Department of Health to understand and prepare.”

It could take up to several weeks to see the changes that Hatzalah seeks, according to Kalish.

Kalish cited what he called a “famous line” from Rabbi Moshe Sherer, the late longtime chairman of Agudath Israel of America, that “the government is slow, not stupid.”

“In this case, the government is just being the government and operates slowly, even though we were prepared and were working on the language and had legal opinions and everything,” Kalish told JNS. “When it came down to it, the MTA just wasn’t fully ready to implement all of the different exemptions.”

The toll fees haven’t dissuaded Hatzalah volunteers from doing their jobs.

“I’m very proud of our members,” Kalish said. “No one is hesitating, and the leadership within the Hatzalah groups are coming together to make sure that people can afford it, and the coordinators have all let their members know that if they go on a call, they are going to make sure that the congestion fee is covered.”

Kalish said the volunteer organization prepared financially for congestion pricing and did not have to raise extra funds to cover the newly imposed costs.

“I think that the new congestion pricing is getting a bad rap because it’s a massive change at the beginning,” he said. “But the governor had to do something to cover the budget hole of the MTA, and this is as good as any other option.”

“I just hope it doesn’t have a negative impact on business in New York because it is definitely going to be very expensive to go into New York City,” he added. “Just on a personal level, the other night I had an event in the city, but I chose not to go because it just wasn’t worth $27 in toll fees to go to that event.” JNS

{Matzav.com}