Congestion pricing got its first rush hour test on Monday morning, with MTA officials saying it was a smooth ride and drivers grumbling about the $9 fee to enter parts of Manhattan.

With the first week of New York’s Congestion Pricing toll in the books, commuters are reaping a reward, spending less time in traffic in exchange for their $9 toll to enter lower Manhattan, said the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

MTA Chairperson Janno Lieber took to the airwaves to defend congestion pricing from what he called “grievance politics” Tuesday, ahead of the second rush hour under the controversial

Traffic entering Manhattan below 60th Street dropped by 7.5% in the first week after the start of a controversial $9 toll on driving in that area.

The introduction of a $9 congestion fee has resulted in faster speeds on some of the city’s famously snarled streets and fewer commuters on the bridges and tunnels. “The traffic is absolutely less, even during rush hour,