NEW YORK - Governors Andrew Cuomo and Chris Christie announced that the Port Authority will launch a plan on February 1 that will save more E-ZPass customers 50 percent on tolls when crossing the Port Authority's Goethals and Bayonne bridges and Outerbridge Crossing.

The plan, developed at the request of the two governors following the August 2011 toll increase, will ease the burden on residents in New Jersey and New York who use the crossings.

Beginning February 1, E-ZPass users with non-commercial plates who enroll in the plan will pay $47.50 for 10 trips in a 30-day period, costing them $4.75 a trip, a 50 percent savings.  The standard E-ZPass peak toll rate without the discount plan is $9.50.

Drivers who commute five times a week over the crossings can save nearly $1,200 a year on their E-ZPass rush-hour tolls, and $1,800 a year off the cash toll.  This amounts to savings of between $100 and $150 per month.

The new discount plan improves on an existing discount by benefitting commuters who use the crossings less frequently.

Under the plan, subscribers pay $47.50 for 10 trips in a 30-day period, which gives them the full discount. However, commuters who make at least six trips will yield savings compared to the standard toll rate.

Governor Cuomo said, "You asked for relief and we delivered.  This plan will save thousands of commuters hard-earned cash each time they go over one of these bridges, putting more money in their pockets at the end of each month."