The Mayor says that if transit riders don't like an increase in fares, then
"Let Them Drive"
If transit riders want 24 hours service to all neighborhood, then "Let Them Drive"
If transit riders don't like el stations that are dark and dangerous, then "Let Them Drive"
If transit riders want extended evening and weekend service, then "Let Them Drive"
If transit riders don't want to be jammed into overcrowded buses and trains, then "Let Them Drive"
If transit riders don't like 2 and 3 buses in a row, then none for an hour, then "Let Them Drive"
If transit riders don't want cuts in the starting and ending times of schedules, then "Let Them Drive"
If riders don't want elimination of routes they use without public hearings, then "Let Them Drive"
If transit riders don't like being stranded in the cold because service ends early, then "Let Them Drive"
If transit riders don't like buses + trains not coordinated for making connections, then "Let Them Drive"
If transit riders want a Mayor who doesn't get federal and state funding for transit, then "Let Them Drive"
If transit riders want Aldermen who don't care about transit service in their wards, then "Let Them Drive"
If transit riders who are senior citizens on fixed income can't afford to pay transit fares, then "Let Them Drive"
If transit riders who are disabled don't like broken lifts on buses, then "Let Them Drive"
If transit riders are happy with transit boards who get paid for doing nothing, then "Let Them Drive"
If transit riders who are poor don't want to pay 74% more for a day pass, then "Let Them Drive"
If transit riders don't believe nonsensical arguments for an increase in fares, then "Let Them Drive"
Fare Increase
Cuts in Service
The next open monthly meeting of Citizens Taking Action will be on Monday, April 13th, from 7-9:00 PM at Powell's Bookstore, Halsted and Roosevelt (800 W, 1200 S)
For 1.64 million riders on an average weekday, transit is an issue.
Emanuel on CTA increases: not fare hikes, Chicagoans can choose to drive
November 26, 2012|By John Byrne | Clout Street
Mayor Rahm Emanuel had a message Monday for CTA riders upset about upcoming fare hikes: they’re not really fare increases, public transit remains a bargain and commuters can “make that choice” about whether to drive or take buses and trains.
“Fares stayed the same. Basic fares stayed the same, which you cannot say about gas prices,” said Emanuel in his first public comments since the CTA announced a 2013 budget proposal last week.
While it’s true the standard payment for a single CTA trip will remain $2.25, the mayor’s transit agency plans a 16 percent increase to the cost of a 30-day pass and higher jumps for one-day, three-day and seven-day passes. About 55 percent of CTA commuters use some kind of pass.
The mayor suggested commuters who don't like the new fare structure are free to get behind the wheel, setting aside the fact many Chicagoans who rely on the CTA to get to and from work don't have cars.
“Now you, as a commuter, will pick. You can either drive to work or you can take public transportation, and the standard fare will stay the same,” Emanuel said.
Under the budget proposal CTA President Forrest Claypool unveiled, the 30-day card will go up 16 percent from $86 to $100. Seven-day passes will rise 22 percent, to $28 from $23.
Three-day passes will increase 43 percent, to $20 from $14. And one-day passes will increase to $10 from $5.75.
“Public transportation is different from driving to work. You will make that choice,” Emanuel said when asked about the hike to the 30-day pass that in particular will hit working Chicagoans who in many cases can least afford it.
The fare increases are projected to generate about $56 million a year. Claypool announced them along with $60 million in labor savings, which he said would help erase a projected $165 million budget deficit next year.