Rep. Kam Buckner: The RTA is running ads while riders and legislators are running out of patience

Chicago Tribune

30-04-2025

There's a $750,000 campaign running across northeast Illinois right now — from TV to radio to billboards — asking the public to 'Save Transit Now.' The Regional Transportation Authority says it's meant to raise awareness about the $1.5 billion funding gap threatening our transit system's future. But here's the thing: We don't need more awareness. We need leadership.
Let me be clear: The funding gap is real. As a legislator who has been working on this specific issue for two years, I know how critical this moment is. Chicago is a world-class city. Northeast Illinois is a global economic engine. And our transit system is the connective tissue that holds it all together. We've lagged behind other states for too long in both funding and foresight. The so-called fiscal cliff isn't new; it's the result of years of delayed decisions and deferred maintenance. This work should've started long before the pandemic. It didn't. So here we are.
But to cry broke with one hand and drop three-quarters of a million dollars on a PR campaign with the other is wrong, and frankly, it's irresponsible.
People don't want more marketing. They want more buses that come when they're supposed to. They want trains that feel safe, are clean and run on time. If your train shows up late every morning, a radio ad won't make you feel better. If you're scared to ride after dark, a hashtag won't fix that.
Just last week, bus operators — real people who move this city — came to the Illinois Capitol to testify about safety concerns on the system. That's where our focus should be: protecting our operators and our riders. These are the people who don't have a million-dollar PR budget. These are the voices we're supposed to amplify, not gloss over with slick messaging.
Since 2020, we've taken steps toward reform — suspending the outdated farebox recovery ratio and pushing for more modern, flexible funding models. And with Rebuild Illinois and the federal infrastructure law, there's been more capital funding on the table than ever before. The problem isn't just a lack of money. It's also how that money keeps getting used. Good dollars are being spent on bad decisions.
The RTA was created to coordinate transit, provide oversight and align the region's systems. But instead of facilitating, linking and leveraging, it's running ad campaigns. Instead of building trust, it's burning through resources. Instead of bringing the system together with clear leadership and accountability, it has too often added another layer of confusion. That is not just a missed opportunity. It is a threat to the future of public transit in our region. This isn't a bug; it's a function. And that's exactly why the system needs to change.
In 2022, the RTA launched 'Forward for All,' another expensive PR campaign promising to lead the region's transit system into the future. I was skeptical then; it felt like a waste of money, and it was. Now the future is here, and not much has changed. Ridership is still below pre-pandemic levels. Riders still don't trust the system. And week after week, new stories of mismanagement — such as the ones Rep. Marty Moylan uncovered about the CTA's overtime abuse — only deepen public doubt.
The public isn't dumb. They see these moves for what they are: wasteful, out of touch and tone-deaf. And every time a system uses funding for fluff instead of fixing real problems, it becomes harder to convince people that public transit is worth saving. But that doesn't mean we give up. It means we get serious.
What can the RTA, the CTA, Metra and Pace do better, faster or differently? Start with the basics: safety, cleanliness and reliability. Deliver consistent service that people can count on. Get serious about coordination and cost-sharing. Explore new revenue models that reflect today's realities not outdated formulas.
Let's be honest: $750,000 won't solve all of our transit challenges. But even a small investment, used wisely, can make a real difference. That kind of money could have funded thousands of additional bus or train service hours, shortened wait times on crowded routes or helped reduce the ghost buses and trains that frustrate riders every day. It could have paid for new bus shelters, station safety upgrades or tech pilots aimed at improving reliability. These aren't abstract improvements — they're the kinds of tangible changes that make someone's commute safer, faster or more affordable.
Other regions have faced funding challenges too, but instead of buying airtime, they invested in service. Boston created dedicated bus lanes and showed people how much faster their commutes could be. Seattle put more buses on the street and earned the public's trust by delivering results.
That's the model. Show us what even a small investment can do. Let the service speak for itself. The RTA could have used this money to say, 'Look what we did with this — imagine what we could do with more.' Instead, the agency used it to say it needs help, without showing what help would achieve. That's not strategy — that's a missed opportunity.
In Springfield, we haven't just been watching this unfold — we've also been working. Speaker Emanuel 'Chris' Welch started a dedicated working group on transit in 2023 in anticipation of this issue. The Senate has held a series of public hearings to hear directly from riders, operators and experts. Leaders such as Rep. Eva-Dina Delgado and Sen. Ram Villivalam have been locked in on this every single day, pushing for a system that's safer, more reliable and more accountable. This isn't a new conversation for us. We've been in the trenches, doing the hard policy work. We're not waiting for a commercial to tell us what's at stake — we already know.
I believe in public transit. I believe that if we let it fail, we fail our region and ourselves. But I also believe this RTA campaign was a mistake. It was not thoughtful. It was not strategic. And it won't bring Springfield to the table.
You want Springfield's attention? Show us a system that works. Because at the end of the day, you don't earn trust by buying it. You earn it by delivering.