RTA sales tax hike aimed at transit upgrades kicks in Saturday
City and suburban residents will see an uptick in the Regional Transit Authority sales tax Saturday as a provision of a major public transportation overhaul goes into effect.
The RTA sales tax will rise by 0.25 percentage points and should result in $199 million more in revenue this year and an estimated $553 million in 2027 for Metra, Pace and the CTA.
For a consumer, it means paying $2.50 more on every $1,000 spent in the region on purchases as of August.
The change was triggered by passage of the Northern Illinois Transit Authority Act which replaces the RTA with a new NITA board, who will take office Sept. 1.
The legislation was intended to fill a major COVID-19-related budget shortfall looming in 2026 and reform how transit operates in the region.
The change means “riders will begin seeing the benefits of new funding through more security personnel, expanded service, improved fare programs and better customer information across the region,” RTA Chairman Kirk Dillard said at a June 1 meeting where directors approved the change.
Sales tax revenues have been more robust than projected, exceeding original estimates of $478 million annually.
The incoming NITA board will steer major improvements such as a universal fare, a potential systemwide police force, and regional transit trains.
Here are some of the short-term upgrades in 2026.
• Providing a stop at the Obama Presidential Center on the CTA’s No. 10 Express Bus that travels between downtown and the Griffin Museum of Science & Industry.
• More frequent buses and extended hours on Pace routes along popular corridors. Bus routes include: 290 Touhy Avenue; 300 Mannheim-LaGrange; 331 Cumberland; 533 Northeast Aurora; 550 Elgin-Crystal Lake; 554 Elgin-Woodfield; and 850, 851 and 855 express buses on I-55.
• Adding service on Metra Electric and Rock Island lines.
• Expanding the Access Pilot reduced fare program for qualifying low-income riders on Metra to Pace and CTA riders this fall. For information, visit rtachicago.org/riders/access.
• Freezing fares until at least July 1, 2027.
mpyke@dailyherald.com