I think the idea is that most lower-income and many middle-income workers are already taking transit, so the impact is primarily on higher-income commuters. I'd

I think the idea is that most lower-income and many middle-income workers are already taking transit, so the impact is primarily on higher-income commuters. I'd only consider it regressive if a lot of middle-income commuters were forced to pay a fee because transit options from their home are either non-existent or take too long. That's a rare situation in NY but is probably pretty common in other US metros. There's also usually various exemptions to these kinds of laws, such as in this case... "Low-income drivers who earn less than $50,000 a year can apply to pay half the price on the daytime toll, but only after the first 10 trips in a month."