CTA Funding Cut By $35 Million: 'Everything Is On The Table'

The Chicago Transit Authority will have to make do with $35 million less this year after the Regional Transportation Authority board cut the operating budgets of Chicago-area transit agencies by $67 million Thursday.

The severe shortfall is the result of declining tax revenues. Metra will have to reduce $19 million in spending and Pace loses $7 million. Pace's paratransit program for disabled riders will have to cut $6 million.

CTA President Richard Rodriguez said riders should expect longer wait times though not necessarily the elimination bus routes, the Sun-Times reports:

"Everything is on the table," Rodriguez said after speaking at the City Club of Chicago. "I can't necessarily stand here and say specific routes are going to be eliminated or weekend service is going to be eliminated or any of that." He said one possibility is that instead of having five-to-seven minute headways between buses on some routes, it could be 10 to 15 minutes.

Rodgriguez told the CTA Tattler Tuesday-- before, they note, the extent of the budget cuts were known-- that he is open to using federal stimulus money intended for station improvements to fill budget holes. But that move has a back-end cost, Rodriguez warned.

"The more we delay this (capital and repair) work," he told the CTA Tattler, "the worse our system becomes."

Watch a report on the RTA board meeting:

One potential budget fix that the CTA Tattler's Kevin O'Neil predicts will not be on the table is the controversial free rides for seniors program started by former Gov. Rod Blagojevich and maintained by current Gov. Pat Quinn. One option that could be is to take a page out of New York's playbook and sell station naming rights.

Comments

[CosmicChaos]

Cutting transportation services disportionately affects the poor, the disabled, and the currently out of work. At this time of crisis when so many people are losing their homes and cars, we need MORE public transportation available and not less.

[newplasticmachine]

In all of the CTA budget cut stories I've seen in the 5 years I've been living in Chicago, I've never seen it asked, is the CTA well managed? Has this been covered as much as the cuts have been?
I ride the bus nearly every day. I love that we have mass transit and I'm a firm believer in it.
But on an average day the CTA ridership is 1.7 million people (according to wikipedia). Chicago Works channel boasts similar numbers. Conservative estimate could put fare collection around $2.5mil per day. Say 60 million dollars a month, 50 million to be super conservative. 600 million dollars a year. That's just fares. Combine that with all the other revenue sources, advertising, city, state federal? funds, and you have a helluva lot of money.
Before I get too worked up about these cuts, I'd like to find out more information on how well it's run.
Can someone post a link to information on this?

[Jack Barron]

My response to the whole "seniors ride free" crock. If you can afford to pay,Gold Coast dowagers I'm looking at you, you should pay. If your old and POOR, fine ride for free I have no problem with that.

[deepkid]

lease the station naming rights!

[GodBlessAmerica]

I agree -- remember "Enron Field"!

[AuntiepoppyCock]

First they raise the fare every few months and now they make drastic cuts that will effect those poor working class people who pay taxes? We need to know the names of all the politicians at city hall and beyond who have sold out the poor working class folks of Chicago. Meanwhile they continue to raise the college tuition rate in this city. The former indicted governor said they would do all of this and he wasn't wrong. The Soul of Chicago is being sold up the river without a paddle to the highest bidder...parking meters and streets sold to private investors? WTF is going on???

[ebroadcast]

Heck, we're still waiting to get our freakin potholes replaired. Chgo has such potential for public transportation but they instead let it die and whither away. Pathetic. I intially wished we'd get the Olympics, but that appears to be the city's only priority, so I'm hoping we get passed over.

[WhatTheHolyHeck]

If the city still gets the olympics in 2012, I wish them luck. There's no way they can move that many people with the RTA in optimal shape, much less hobbled by additional devastating budget cuts.