Chicago Transit Riders Warned to Brace for Possible Service Cuts, Fare Hikes
Chicago Tribune, via Mass Transit Mag:
March 19--Transit officials Wednesday laid out a grim scenario of service cuts on buses and trains, fare increases, layoffs and commuters returning to their cars in droves as early as summer if lawmakers approve Gov. Bruce Rauner's plan to cut nearly $170 million to Chicago-area mass transit.
The CTA, which provides 81 percent of the rides in the area, would suffer the largest funding hit under Rauner's fiscal 2016 budget proposal, Regional Transportation Authority officials said. They were to present their findings to the RTA board Thursday.
The CTA would face a 45 percent decrease in state funding, or a $130.1 million annual cut, according to the latest numbers crunched by the RTA, based on the governor's proposed budget book and discussions with his staff. The projected cut, up from an earlier estimate of $105 million, equals 9 percent of the CTA's operating budget, officials said.
To put that in perspective, $130.1 million pays for more than 10 weeks of bus service on the entire CTA system, CTA officials said. ...............(more)
http://www.masstransitmag.com/news/11888024/chicago-transit-riders-warned-to-brace-for-possible-service-cuts-fare-hikes
