Wu said her team had been in contact with New York officials to understand their experience and the program’s details. She called congestion pricing a “huge source of funding for public transit improvements” in New York, but did not announce plans to introduce a similar charge in Boston.

The discussion came as board member Len Diggins urged Wu to make the case for sustainable transportation funding and to explain how any new revenue would be spent. Wu said Boston-area mayors have been discussing revenue needs amid economic strain on municipalities and a rise in Proposition 2½ override questions going before voters.

New York charges vehicles to enter its Congestion Relief Zone. Passenger and small commercial vehicles pay $9 once a day during peak periods; other rates vary by vehicle type and time. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority reported that the program produced more than $550 million in net revenue in its first year and that 27 million fewer vehicles entered the zone, an 11% decline in traffic.

The prospect of new tolls has faced resistance in Massachusetts, where drivers already pay tolls on the Massachusetts Turnpike but have shown sensitivity to expanding charges onto roads that do not currently have them. A state transportation funding task force said in 2024 it would consider a range of options, including congestion pricing, prompting backlash when tolling at state borders was discussed.

Wu also told the board that Boston’s fare-free bus pilot has been “transformational” for residents. She said the city sees about 150,000 bus rides on an average weekday, more than half of MBTA ridership.

The city plans to launch five free, city-run Link Bus routes serving Mattapan, Roxbury, Allston-Brighton, Charlestown and the Lower Mystic, and the South Boston waterfront. The proposed shuttles would connect residential areas with transit stops. The administration is using $11.5 million in federal Congestion Relief Program funding and plans, under its current proposal, to support three years of service.