Boston Congestion Pricing Poll: 69% of Voters Say No. Wu Is Still Studying It

A new Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll dropped this week, and the Boston congestion pricing poll results are exactly what you’d expect from a city where people already feel taxed for breathing: an overwhelming majority of Massachusetts residents said they would not pay extra to drive into downtown Boston, even if it meant less traffic. 69 percent said no. 26 percent said yes. 5 percent said they didn’t know.

And yet the conversation is very much alive at City Hall.

What the Boston Congestion Pricing Poll Actually Found

The poll surveyed 500 registered voters between June 8 and June 12. The question was straightforward: would you be willing to pay to drive into downtown Boston if it meant less traffic?

Nearly seven in ten said no.

That’s not a close call. That’s not a number that suggests a moderate rebranding campaign could shift opinion. That’s a hard no from the Massachusetts electorate, and it spans demographics. The Boston congestion pricing poll reflects a broader truth about how drivers in this region feel about being charged for roads their tax dollars already built.

Mayor Michelle Wu announced in April that the city would study congestion pricing as part of a broader climate plan. The idea is to charge drivers a fee to enter certain downtown zones, using the revenue to fund public transit and reduce vehicle emissions. The same model has been deployed in New York City, London, and Stockholm.

The New York Comparison

Proponents point to New York as proof the model works. And on paper, the numbers are solid. Between January and October 2025, 11 percent fewer vehicles entered New York City after congestion pricing launched. The program raised $468 million in net revenue through October. That’s real money going into transit infrastructure.

But Boston is not New York. New York has one of the most extensive subway systems in the Western hemisphere. Boston has the MBTA, which still can’t run reliably enough to justify asking drivers to pay more to fund it. The Boston congestion pricing poll makes that frustration clear.

Why the “No” Vote Makes Sense

The 69 percent who said no aren’t just being reflexively anti-tax. Many of them have tried the MBTA and found it unreliable. Many of them live in suburbs with no viable transit alternative. Many of them are already stretched financially and don’t see why they should pay an additional surcharge to access the city where they work and spend money.

Congestion pricing works best when it’s paired with a transit system people actually trust and can use. Boston isn’t there yet. Building the political will for a new driver fee before fixing what already exists is backwards, and the Boston congestion pricing poll shows voters know it.

What Happens Next

Mayor Wu has committed to a study, not a policy. That gives City Hall cover to keep the conversation going without forcing a vote that would almost certainly fail right now. Expect the study to take 12 to 18 months, generate a thick report, get some coverage, and then quietly sit on a shelf until a future administration decides what to do with it.

That’s not cynicism. That’s Boston municipal politics.

If the city is serious about reducing traffic downtown — from emissions to pedestrian safety to quality of life — the first step is making the alternative viable. Fund the T. Fix the buses. Make commuter rail work. Then come back and ask people to pay to drive.

Until then, this Boston congestion pricing poll is a reality check the administration probably needed.

Would you pay a fee to drive into downtown Boston if transit were actually reliable? Tell us in the comments.