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Axios
3 days ago
- Business
- Axios
Chicago transit budget crisis deepens as funding stalls in Springfield
After months of grave warnings by Chicago-area transit leaders, unions and commuters, the Illinois General Assembly passed a $55 billion budget without the funding and reform agencies hoped for. Why it matters: Leaders warned they need $1.5 billion to prevent service cuts and layoffs at CTA, Metra and Pace. State of play: The Senate approved a proposal Saturday that would create a new governing body for Chicago-area transit as well as revenue from a fee on Uber Eats, Amazon, and other online food and retail deliveries. Yes, but: The House failed to take it up. Catch up quick: The Regional Transit Authority (RTA), which oversees CTA, Metra commuter rail and Pace suburban bus service, launched the "Save Transit Now" campaign in April, which encouraged riders to tell state legislators to include transit funding in the 2026 budget. A $770 million budget shortfall resulted from the expiration of COVID-era federal funding and a decline in ridership to pre-pandemic levels. Friction point: Lawmakers repeated throughout the session that state funding would not come without reform, saying a streamlined governing body was needed as well as better efforts to address safety on trains and buses. Additionally, the perennial issue in budget negotiations was at play, as downstate lawmakers pushed back against any legislation that would tax their districts to fund services their constituents don't use. Zoom out: The bill that passed the Senate included a new agency called Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA), which would replace RTA to oversee CTA, Metra, and Pace. NITA would have the authority to set and coordinate fares, allowing riders to use one fare card for all services. It also includes plans for a task force of officers from the Cook County Sheriff's Office, and Chicago, Metra and Illinois State Police dedicated to crime mitigation on transit. What they're saying: RTA spokesperson Tina Fassett Smith said in a statement that, "Balancing regional interests is challenging, but we are ready to continue our work to achieve consensus and deliver a solution." "In the coming weeks, the RTA will work with the Service Boards on a regional budget that by law must only include funding we are confident the system will receive in 2026," Smith said. Saturday's inaction "jeopardizes Illinois transit systems with expected cuts, massive layoffs, and service disruptions," Illinois AFL-CIO President Tim Drea said in a statement, adding that riders and workers are now "left concerned about the future of our communities." Between the lines: Pritzker said Sunday funding transit quickly is imperative, but took a shot at RTA's $750,000 "Save Transit Now" campaign. "I also would say that they'd have more money in their coffers if they hadn't spent money advertising here in Springfield to try to convince people of something that they really should be leaving to the legislators to decide," the governor said at a press conference. What's next: Pritzker said transit funding remains a priority and expects lawmakers to revisit the issue in the coming months.
Chicago Tribune
07-05-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Column: Before state reform, the RTA needs to heal itself
Whenever Illinois lawmakers start talking reform, we should start to be wary. Very wary. Some of our legislators want to redesign the region's mass transit agencies before they adjourn the legislative session at the end of the month. Our elected officials in Springfield can't reform themselves when it comes to campaign funding, misconduct and budgeting. Yet, they want to change the way things have been going the last 50 years or so in the six-county area with the Regional Transportation Authority, the umbrella agency for the CTA, Metra and Pace. Not that the mass transit agency doesn't need a tad more oversight, or maybe sterner leadership. But lawmakers want to reinvent the wheel as mass transit in the six-county region faces a looming fiscal cliff, something that happens a lot across the Land of Lincoln whenever money is in the mix. Legislation is awaiting action in Springfield to meld all the transit agencies into one uber-RTA under the bureaucratic-sounding Metropolitan Mobility Authority Act. Supporters of public transportation in the region insist the RTA is facing a $1.5 billion funding gap when federal funding given during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic dissipates next year. Short term, the RTA says it needs $771 million to keep trains and buses up to speed. Backers of the MMAA bill were in Waukegan the other day, part of a schedule of transportation town halls in Lake, Cook, DuPage, Kane, McHenry and Will counties to boost the idea of merging all the transit agencies. If efficient service is the end game, who isn't for that? Sometimes in Illinois, just the opposite occurs. Before lawmakers give blank checks to a new, improved RTA (which undoubtedly will get a costly new name, complete with revamped logos and brand signage), several things need to occur. First, increase fares. According to one account, the CTA has not increased fares since 2018, which was the first time since 2009. To ride the El or subway in Chicago costs $2.50. Second, rein in costs. That's a difficult concept in government. Ridership across the transit system remains down, especially when workers commute infrequently to their brick-and-mortar offices, and instead work remotely. For instance, the RTA has been running advertising across a wide span of media platforms direly warning: 'Save Transit Now.' One estimate is that the public relations campaign is costing $750,000. That's a small amount in the RTA budget, but the optics aren't swell when having a tin cup out for state funding. Employee overtime costs and running trains at all hours of the night should be areas of concern. ABC7 television scrutinized RTA payroll records recently and found overtime costs increased nearly 40% since 2019, from $86 million in 2019 to nearly $120 million last year. Additionally, the station determined 100 full-time employees made twice their annual salaries in overtime in a single year, including one supervisor who made more than $233,000 in overtime on top of an annual base salary of $95,000. Metra is planning this year to rename its 14 commuter train routes, which means new logos, branding and perhaps advertising, to let riders know they no longer will hop on a Milwaukee District train to get home from downtown Chicago to, say, Libertyville. Officials say some of the train routes are confusing to passengers who apparently were absent when the difference between Illinois and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was discussed in geography class. Paring bus routes. In many locales Pace buses are used sparingly by the public. That needs to be addressed. Third, upgrade service. It doesn't take a new transit agency to deliver trains and buses on time. Or synch service options, such as several Lake County firms do, pairing ride-sharing offerings at various Metra stations. Many of us realize public transportation is a boon to the region when it works well. Buses and trains take fossil-fuel-burning cars and trucks off the road; streets and highways become less jammed during rush hours. That in turn decreases air pollution, even though Chicagoland continues to rank 15th overall, according to a report late last month from the American Lung Association. Southern California, which has fewer mass transit options, ranked first in the group's analysis of air pollutants. Other transit agencies across the nation have faced similar fiscal hurdles and seem to have risen to the challenge of serving their clientele with less. Before Illinois lawmakers start trying to heal the region's mass transit and dole out checks to the RTA, they, taxpayers and riders, need to know public transportation already is working to the best of its ability.
Axios
02-05-2025
- Business
- Axios
Chicago transit leaders say $1.5 billion could avoid "drastic service cuts"
Commercials urging residents to take action to prevent a major fiscal crisis for mass transit are flooding airwaves in Chicago, but it might not be enough to persuade state lawmakers to take action. Why it matters: The Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) is sounding the alarm about possible service cuts to the CTA, Metra and Pace if state lawmakers don't chip in on the $1.5 billion RTA says it needs. The agency predicts a $770 million shortfall as ridership and revenues have declined in the last decade and COVID-era recovery funds have expired. The $1.5 billion was determined by independent experts, including the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP). Threat level: The RTA in March warned of "unprecedented cuts," including one in five Chicagoans not having transit for their daily commute, no weekend service for Pace riders, cuts to Metra schedules and the loss of nearly 3,000 transit-related jobs. The latest: RTA executive director Leanne Redden tells Axios she was in Springfield this week and is "cautiously optimistic" about funding help from the state. "I am committed to investing in a public transit system that will serve our region for decades — not just meet next year's needs or temporarily fill a budget gap," state Sen. Ram Villivalam, chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, told Axios in a statement. "Every day I am working alongside stakeholders, advocates and everyday riders about how to address the issues that face our current system." State of play: RTA launched a campaign last month called "Save Transit Now," which includes ads urging commuters to call and write their lawmakers asking them to give the agency money. The commercials promise shorter wait times and cleaner trains and buses if the funding comes through. More than 5,000 letters have been sent to legislators, according to Redden. Friction point: That campaign has been criticized by some, including the Tribune's editorial board and state Rep. Kam Buckner, who argued that a public agency in financial trouble shouldn't be spending $750,000 on ads. Buckner, a transit advocate who has been vocal about the CTA's problems in particular, wrote in an op-ed: "[T]o 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." The other side: "We can't afford not to raise awareness at this moment," Redden said. "Our research, through input from the region's riders and taxpayers, showed that nearly half of residents weren't even aware of the fiscal cliff and it is our obligation to inform them." Reality check: Buckner agrees that Chicago transit is underfunded compared to some of its peers. Zoom out: Illinois funds 17% of Chicago's public transportation system, WTTW reported, compared to Philadelphia's transit system receiving 50% from the state and New York City receiving 28%. Randy Clarke, head of Washington, D.C., transit, said they had to raise fares 12.5% last year — a change riders often balk at but something the RTA may be considering. Between the lines: Service problems continue to plague transit, especially the CTA, but acting director Nora Leerhsen promises she's bringing fresh eyes and ears to rider complaints. CTA launched a chatbot last year, and an issue continues to dominate: smoking on the trains. "Not all rule violations are created equal, and I think smoking really has an ability to really set a tone for a rider that is not indicative of what we want them to see," Leerhsen told WTTW. The bottom line: "Without funding certainty, we'll be forced to prepare for drastic service cuts, thousands of layoffs, route eliminations, and steep fare increases," RTA's Redden warns.
Chicago Tribune
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Rep. Kam Buckner: The RTA is running ads while riders and legislators are running out of patience
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.
