The first of five public meetings about the MTA's congestion pricing plan was held Thursday, which discussed how it will impact Long Island residents commuting into New York City.

Jacques Bernard lives on Long Island, but says he has to commute to New York City in his car. Under the plan, drivers like Bernard would pay a peak hour toll of $9 between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. to drive into parts of Manhattan on weekdays. For someone who needs to drive to the city five days a week, that's upwards of $200 a month. There's also a potential $23 toll for other drivers coming in through New Jersey.

The hope is, according to the MTA, is that the plan will reduce traffic congestion in Manhattan Central Business District and raise revenue for investment in transit, to ensure a safer New York City transit system.

The complaint from commuters is that the thousands of people who would be paying these extra tolls are not the ones who will benefit from an improved transit system.

There were a handful of people at the meeting who applauded the MTA for trying to cut down on congestion and pollution.

If this plan is approved, the new tolls could be implemented by 2023 or early 2024.