Finally?! Dooms Day cuts averted
The RTA board voted this afternoon to allocate $54.3 million in state money to the CTA, thus avoiding draconian cuts scheduled for July.
The Chicago Tribune reports the RTA board decided to give all the cash to the CTA. There was some speculation that the PACE system would get about 20% of it to help pay for paratransit services it provides.
Instead, the RTA "found" $7.8 million in funds fo PACE "from the RTA's larger-than-expected 2004 budget surplus and higher-than-projected 2005 sales tax revenues," the Trib says.
(So, the CTA has been begging for months, and it turns out the RTA -- the mother agency -- has extra cash lying around? What's up with that?)
But hold on to your fare cards, Tattler readers: RTA board members are already pushing the CTA to raise fares to at least $2 next year.
I was just about to link to the article in the Sun Times. You're getting as much done at work as I am.
Posted by: Cheryl | June 23, 2005 at 04:50 PM
Hey, I'm a multi-tasker! Work in one window, Tattler in the other!
Posted by: Kevin | June 23, 2005 at 05:03 PM
you don't "find" money lying around the house?! Ops, here's that $2 mil I've been looking for.....
Posted by: cmama | June 24, 2005 at 09:17 AM
$2 one way is beyond insane. $80 a month just to get to work and back? How do working class families with children afford this?
Posted by: Sarah | June 24, 2005 at 08:50 PM
$80 a month? If you had to drive 20 miles to work, just the gas would cost that much. Add insurance, maintenance, and the cost of buying a car (and the interest on the payments), and it's not hard to spend $80 a month to drive 5 miles to work.
Posted by: Warren | June 25, 2005 at 01:17 PM
I'm paying $75/month for my ChicagoCard. It's definitely cheaper than driving to work.
Posted by: Cheryl | June 26, 2005 at 02:53 PM
While I though the massive service cuts the CTA was proposing were absurd and that the idea of paying $3.50 to ride the El was infuriating, one of the fare increases that I thought was right on was raising the fare for trips paid either in cash or using temporary fare cards.
The CTA should again offer free Chicago cards for a time and then after that grace period should raise all fares not paid with Chicago cards to $2.50.
This way, tourists and suburbanites who only visit occasionally would be paying a premium, but wouldn't really notice the increase because they aren't here that often and because an extra $5 or 10 over the course of a vacation is barely noticeable next to the cost of meals and hotels.
The benefit is that the CTA would have extra money to reduce fares for Chicagoans and/or to improve service.
Of course it would also be nice if they could actually make their employees do some real work for a change and would eliminate the huge excess of administrative positions at the agency.
Posted by: jk1 | June 29, 2005 at 06:15 PM