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Letter from CTA President Ron Huberman

Dear CTA Customer:

On November 4th — less than one week from today — the CTA will be forced to cut service and raise fares as a result of insufficient state funding. All of us at the CTA understand the hardship that these service cuts and fare increases will cause you. We do not want to make these cuts, and we have been fighting for funding to avoid making them.

I ask that you take the time to prepare for next week’s commute. If you currently use service that will be eliminated, go online to transitchicago.com, or call 1-888-YOUR-CTA, to identify alternative service options. Try to use this alternative service at least once this week so you are familiar with it.

We are asking all of our customers to avoid the rush hour whenever possible by leaving early or late. With the reduction in bus service, we anticipate greater crowds on remaining buses and trains as customers seek different ways to get to work. Customers should expect longer travel times.

This is a crucial time to contact the Governor and your state legislators to tell them how important mass transit is to you. The Illinois General Assembly still has not acted to pass legislation that would guarantee the CTA’s fiscal health and ensure that there are no more “doomsdays.” Without action from the General Assembly, the CTA is required by law to balance its budget, forcing these service cuts and fare increases. Visit transitchicago.com, or call 1-888-YOUR-CTA, for information on how you can easily send a message to your state legislators.

With your support, we are hopeful that we will finally get a long-term solution to the CTA’s funding shortfalls and put future “doomsdays” to rest. If the State enacts pending legislation before November 4th, the service cuts and fare increases will not go into effect.

Sincerely,

Ron Huberman

I bike or drive to the office (2.5 miles away), thus this really doesn’t affect me. But this affects Chicago’s economy big time.

Also heard some interesting news on WBEZ this morning - Chicago is planning on raising the tax on alcohol 80% for beer (which would equate to an extra 9 cents a six pack) and 50% for wine. I think that’s a great idea, and as one person said in the story - I’d drink more if it the taxes helped the CTA.

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