CTA, Pace won't hold off hikes any longer
Despite pleas from lawmakers to hold off, CTA and Pace officials say they simply can't postpone fare hikes and service cuts any longer in the face of giant budget shortfalls.
Come Sunday, as planned, the two agencies will begin an escalating campaign to dismantle the region's transit system and hike fares across the board to recoup more than 10 percent of their yearly budgets by December.
By Monday, the moves could push as many as 100,000 transit riders off the system and either on to roads or out of work.
"We are not backing off," said Jim Reilly, chairman of the Regional Transportation Authority.
Pace and CTA officials say they can't pay the bills and leave service and fares as they are. The two agencies are about $180 million in the red.
"We literally do not have the money," said Rocky Donahue, a Pace spokesman.
Transit officials have been sounding alarm bells for months and are hoping lawmakers eventually will approve a regional sales tax hike for more funding.
Yet, lawmakers have been slow to act as legislative leaders continue to fight over education, construction, health care and other state funding plans.
State senators were planning to vote on the sales tax hike proposal this week, but the plan got pushed off to next week when it was clear Senate President Emil Jones couldn't rope in enough votes.
The same measure failed last week by 10 votes in the state House.
"We don't want a repeat of the bill failing as we saw in the House last week," said Cindy Davidsmeyer, a spokeswoman for Jones, a Chicago Democrat.
The remainder of this week has been ruled out for legislative action because of the pending Jewish holidays that would keep some key lawmakers away from the Capitol at a time when supporters have no votes to spare.
Jones had asked transit officials to put off the fare hikes and service cuts as debate over the sales tax hike continues, Davidsmeyer said.
But even if the plan passes the House and Senate, the governor has pledged to veto it. That means the sales tax hikes will have to gain approval in the House and Senate a second time before the transit agencies can scale back the fare hikes and service cuts.
Since late last year, the three transit agencies have been pushing for more state funding. In July, Pace and CTA officials designated Sunday as their line in the sand -- after that point they would start taking action to balance their budgets.
Metra is also short $60 million, but officials there are only considering fare hikes and service cuts for next year.
Last week, Senate Democrats also announced they planned to push forward a multibillion-dollar construction spending plan financed by three new casinos -- including one in Chicago -- for road and additional transit expansion.
That plan also could come to a vote next week and, if approved, it may help the transit sales tax increase plan gain support in the House.
Transit derailment ahead
Pace and CTA officials are about to launch a campaign of fare hikes and service cuts affecting hundreds of thousands of people. Visit www.rtachicago.com for more information.
Sunday:
Pace
• Local route and Metra feeder fares up 25 cents to $1.50
• Vanpool fares up 10%
• All ADA para-transit fares rise to $3
CTA
• Bus fares rising to $2
• Rail rush hour fares rising to $3
• Unlimited ride passes jump by up to 20 percent
Monday
• 39 CTA bus routes slashed, affects 68,000 riders
Down the Line
October
• Pace: Cuts 38 Metra feeder routes and 23 main routes, CTA passes no longer accepted, ADA para-transit service limited
December/January:
• All of Pace's Metra feeder routes cut
• Pace fares rise to $2
• Weekend Pace service cut
• CTA begins talk of further fare hikes, el service cuts
• Metra officials eye 10% fare hike, weekend and night service cuts
Source: Daily Herald research
The transit bailout
Lawmakers are debating a plan raise more than $400 million for transit. Here are the details:
Who pays? Everyone in the six-county area via higher sales taxes. Chicago pays additional real estate sales taxes.
How much? 50 cents in additional tax on a $100 merchandise bill in the collar counties and 25 cents in Cook County
Where does it go? Half the collar county tax will likely go to local road work, and the other half will go to Pace and Metra. The Cook County tax will go to Metra, Pace and the CTA.
Are there other options? Gov. Rod Blagojevich opposes the sales tax hike and wants to raise business taxes, but few lawmakers support the idea. Gas tax hikes, real estate tax hikes and parking taxes have also been floated.
Source: Daily Herald reporting