CTA's cuts would eliminate 82 routes

Mass-transit agencies waiting for Illinois lawmakers to find more money are piling on proposed fare increases and service cuts for next year.

The Chicago Transit Authority on Friday proposed eliminating 82 bus routes and raising fares as high as $3.25.

"We are simply out of options," CTA chief Ron Huberman said, acknowledging the "tremendous hardship" that will force 250,000 people to find a new way to get around each day.

Other Chicago-area mass transit agencies -- the Pace suburban bus system and Metra commuter rail -- also face widespread service cuts and fare increases unless lawmakers decide on a budget fix.

Transit funding solutions have stalled in Springfield because of disagreements over where to come up with the necessary money and whether to link it to statewide construction needs, such as new roads and bridges.

The CTA outlined the proposed cuts in a more than $1 billion budget that includes layoffs, service reductions and fare increases on top of those that are scheduled to go into effect Nov. 4 after a short-term state bailout postponed them last month.

Without action in Springfield, the CTA is set in November to eliminate 39 bus routes, lay off more than 600 employees and raise fares to as much as $3. Come January, another 43 bus routes would be cut, almost 1,800 more employees would lose their jobs and fares would top out at $3.25. The CTA would also close three of its eight garages.

"This is grim. This is difficult. This will impact people in a very terrible way," Huberman said.

In the suburbs, the Pace bus system approved a proposed 2008 budget that could mean the elimination of weekend and evening service along with an increase in regular fares to $2. That will be on top of fare hikes of up to 50 cents for collar county ADA riders and the cutting of about two dozen main routes come Nov. 4.

By year's end, Pace officials are also considering ending all Pace routes that exclusively service Metra stations.

Metra spokeswoman Judy Pardonnet said the commuter rail is considering its options for next year, including fare increases as high as 20 percent and service reductions, specifically on weekends and in the evenings. They also will review rider statistics on all trains and lines looking for possible reductions.

Metra's last fare increase was a 5 percent jump in 2006.