Sun-Times: Chicago area transit use jumps 9% over last 5 years, RTA says

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Chicago area transit use jumps 9% over last 5 years, RTA says
April 29, 2009

BY MARY WISNIEWSKI Transportation Reporter


More area residents used public transit, and there was more public transit to use between 2003 and 2007, according to a Regional Transportation Authority report to be released today.

Both the number of miles of service available and the number of miles traveled by riders rose about 9 percent in those five years, the report found. The average number of annual rides taken per Chicago area resident also rose, from 69.6 in 2003 to 72.9 in 2007.

But the cost of keeping the buses and trains running rose faster than the rate of inflation, due to higher fuel, labor and health care costs. Capital funding sunk from $1.04 billion in 2007 to $345 million in 2007.

"You can see the system being stretched," said Joe Schwieterman, a transportation expert at DePaul University.

A "mini" capital program for this year should provide $900 million for transit funding from the state on top of $414 million in federal stimulus funding. Gov. Quinn's office said Tuesday that transit projects will get started this construction season.

But more capital funding is needed, according to RTA executive director Stephen Schlickman. "The problem is after one year, we fall off a cliff again," he said. A continued shortage of capital funding "is going to threaten the ability to continue the positive trends we see here."


http://www.suntimes.com/news/transportation/1549059,CST-NWS-transit29.article