Legislation

Transit has been underfunded for decades. Instituted in 1983, the farebox recovery ratio stipulates that the service boards must cover 50% of their operating costs using system generated revenues, which are primarily fares. This requirement created an impossible standard no other major transit system in the country is held to, and crippled funding for decades. 

If left unaddressed, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Metra and PACE could face dramatic cuts, including major lay-offs, route or line eliminations, service cuts, station closures and cancellation of planned expansions and necessary repairs. These drastic measures would  further damage the region's transit systems, and cause massive disruptions to the Illinois economy and workforce. 

1. CTA: 309 million riders annually
2. Metra: 35 million riders annually
3. PACE: 17 million riders annually

1. CTA, Metra, and PACE will be forced to cut back on the services they provide, which means hundreds of thousands of riders will lose access to transportation to work, school, and medical appointments. In addition,  thousands of workers who provide critical services for CTA, Metra, and PACE are at risk of losing their jobs if funding is cut. 
2. Without employees to keep the lines operating safely and effectively, much-needed infrastructure and system upgrades will be ignored as the area’s mass transit systems attempt to fill their financial shortfall.

Having one board is not adequate. Each board, the Regional Transit Authority (RTA), CTA, Metra, and PACE, have vastly different systems and unique needs. Instead, we propose to make changes to the composition of the current boards. The Labor Alliance for Public Transportation's proposal offers a solution for better coordination among agencies to ensure fiscal accountability and an improved rider experience.

The farebox recovery rate is the percentage of a public transit system's operating costs that is covered by the revenue generated from fares (ticket sales or other charges). In other words, it measures how much of the cost of running the transit system is paid for by passengers, rather than through government subsidies or other funding sources.

Currently, Illinois requires the RTA to operate with a 50% farebox recovery rate, an extremely unrealistic and overly burdensome no other major transit system is held to this ratio, greatly contributing to the fiscal cliff. Comparatively, New York City’s regional MTA system farebox recovery rate is around 20%. While systems in New York, Boston, and Philadelphia get up to 50% of their funding from their state governments, state funding in Illinois makes up about 17%.

Tackling the fiscal cliff and modernizing our transit system by enhancing safety and efficiency will enable Illinois to expand its public mass transit system to underserved areas down state, making affordable public transit more equitable. It will also allow us to focus on creating a functional high-speed rail system, further connecting communities across Illinois.

LAPT is a first-of-its-kind, grassroots transit union coalition with more than 30 labor partners united behind keeping Illinois safe and moving in the right direction.

We are currently looking at various funding opportunities and working with lawmakers to find a fiscally responsible solution for the state to fulfill its obligations to fully fund our public transportation networks in Illinois.