May 30, 2007 9:01 am US/Central
CTA Was Considering Fare Hike To $7
Another Plan Would Have Eliminated All 'L' Lines But Red And Blue
CHICAGO (STNG) ―
The service cuts and fare increases that CTA President Ron Huberman proposed last week to balance the CTA's budget weren't the worst ones on the table.
Huberman detailed four other plans that CTA staff considered before recommending cutting service on 63 bus routes and the Yellow Line and Purple Line Express routes and introducing a new fare structure that would charge rush-hour commuters up to $3.25.
One plan involved closing the CTA's $97.5 million budget gap almost solely by raising fares. Under that plan, riders would pay $7 to ride buses and trains during peak hours.
Another option -- if the CTA didn't divert any capital dollars to its operating budget -- would have been to increase fares to as much as $5.50 during peak hours, while eliminating 107 bus routes and all CTA L lines except Red and Blue.
Doing nothing at all without new funding would force the CTA to shut down by October, Huberman said.
And no, Huberman said, he isn't bluffing to goad the state Legislature into coming up with more cash.
The recommended contingency plan would divert $56.9 million in capital dollars toward operations, which would soon cost the CTA more than it saved as the price of maintaining an aging bus and rail fleet rises, Huberman said.
The CTA board won't decide on fare increases or service cuts until at least next month, after a series of public meetings.
Huberman and CTA Chairwoman Carole Brown said they were optimistic that the Legislature will come up with a funding solution.
"We're hopeful we don't have to go any further than this," Brown said of the contingency plan that has been proposed.
(Source: Sun-Times News Group Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2006. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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