Enough Is Enough: Stop the Fare Hikes and Transit Cuts!

Every year it seems transit riders in the Chicago region get less transit service for our money. Service cuts and fare increases have become a regular tradition, making it more difficult and more expensive to get around. Tell your elected leaders that transit in our region needs to stop moving backwards -- it’s time to invest in moving transit forward!

The CTA has proposed raising fares on transit passes next year, and next month will cut a number of routes because it was the only way they could afford to add service on overcrowded buses and trains. In 2010, CTA cut bus service 18% and train service 9%. Metra raised fares 25-30% earlier this year and is planning more fare hikes in their 2013 budget. CTA train fares have increased 80% since 1990. And for too long now our trains and buses have been plagued by slow zones, overcrowding and deteriorating stations.

Your elected leaders hold the purse strings and decide whether to invest in public transit or to neglect it. When our region can only maintain our crumbling transit system by eliminating service or raising fares, it's clear that our elected leaders have decided transit isn’t a priority. Let’s change their minds.

Public transit is one of our most important assets in the Chicago region. It provides access to jobs, education and business, fueling our region’s economy.

We are more than 2 million daily transit riders, and we need to demand that our elected leaders invest in better transit.