Micky Horstman: Before getting more taxpayer money, Chicago transit needs more fixes

Chicago Tribune

2 days ago

As I and 100,000 other people headed home from Lollapalooza, I saw a 'Save Transit Now' flyer plastered on the Red Line's Jefferson station. It warned riders that without a $1.5 billion increase in funding, the transit agencies will fail or cut service to 1 in 5 Chicagoans.
I tapped into the station at 10:13 p.m. to discover trains were indefinitely delayed because of police activity at the 95th Street station, where an 18-year-old was in critical condition after being shot by a man trying to rob him. No trains had come by 10:45, and with the platform overcrowded, I took a $60 Uber home.
Lollapalooza should've been an opportunity to showcase Chicagoland's transit capabilities. Instead, it highlighted all the problems riders have with the Chicago Transit Authority: Crime is elevated and trains don't run on time.
Before Illinois leaders consider a massive transit bailout that puts new tax hikes on the backs of non-riders and continues the broken financial and logistical status quo, the Regional Transit Authority must implement serious internal reforms.
At one point, the state considered a $770 million bailout bill that relied on a sales tax on services; another version introduced a statewide, $1.50 tax on deliveries such as Amazon and DoorDash. A new proposal would tax real estate sales in the Chicago suburbs, which could hurt housing affordability in a market already strained by high prices, record property taxes and low inventory.
But throwing more taxpayer money at Chicago-area mass transit isn't going to help anyone waiting for a train at 10 p.m. The transit agencies have many issues to fix first.
Here is where the repairs should start.
Commit to fiscal responsibility: Fully aware of the upcoming fiscal cliff, CTA leadership still advanced the Red Line's $5.75 billion, 5-mile extension. Despite the ballooning costs they chose to saddle the system with decades of future debt. This is emblematic of transit leaders' lack of fiscal prudence.
Previous RTA fiscal blunders include spending $40,000 on a DJ, hundreds of thousands of dollars on overtime, over $1 million on employees who don't work, $200,000 on AI gun security, and over $112 million on other contracts for non-enforcement security officers.
Frivolous spending with no accountability like this erodes public trust and has failed to improve safety or service. The agencies should start by eliminating reckless line items before they ask for more money and threaten service cuts.
To address safety, money could've been spent hiring active Chicago Police Department officers to apprehend fare evaders, and prevent smoking and violent, anti-social behavior. The Illinois Policy Institute estimates it would cost $20 million annually to do that. Instead, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson wants to add social workers to the trains.
Pursue meaningful consolidation: The proposed bill would have eliminated the RTA and replaced it with the Northern Illinois Transit Authority. Lawmakers touted consolidation, but in reality it looked more like reallocation. That's a missed opportunity.
A better bill would cut down on board members and would meaningfully condense administrative and non-service-related departments under the RTA or new agency's authority. Board members across Metra, CTA, RTA and Pace meet as little as once a month and cost Illinoisans around $910,000 a year. These positions are often filled by former mayors and politicos who rarely have transportation expertise.
The CTA's growing personnel costs take up more than two-thirds of its budget. Nearly half of their employees don't work in transit, but rather in administration and management. These positions should be trimmed before service cuts are considered.
Just look at what other systems are doing: For the same cost as the Red Line extension, transit leaders in Washington, D.C., are hoping to automate their entire system. That will improve service, safety and reduce long-term operating costs — all things the CTA struggles with.
Redesign the fare program: Fixing the mess means fixing funding mechanisms. Nationally, fares covered an average of roughly 34% of most transit systems' costs pre-pandemic. Today, system-generated revenue is just 20% of the CTA's total revenue for operations. Public funding and federal pandemic relief, which is running out, covers the rest of the operating costs.
Metra raised fares in 2024 to try to get ahead of its deficit, but the CTA hasn't raised fares since 2018 and offers an unlimited day pass for just $5. The RTA plans on raising prices in 2026, but will a day pass cost more than a simple round-trip ticket?
As an avid CTA rider, I know fare hikes are not ideal, but I'd rather contribute more to the service I use than saddle family members far outside the city with random taxes. Worse would be to cut service and abandon Chicagoans when we should be looking to grow the system and improve reliability.
Chicago's public transit is critical for connecting communities and supporting economic mobility. But Springfield shouldn't bail out a system that lacks accountability. Illinoisans deserve better than 'more of the same.'
By committing to these reforms first, Chicago can transform and restore its transit system without making taxpayers suffer more for years of poor judgment and mismanagement.