All Aboard: Chicago CTA and the Cost

"I'd rather invest in a car than take the CTA", has now become the mantra among many CTA riders. Year after Year of rising fare cost and service cutbacks, Chicago has finally given up on the CTA (Chicago Transit Authority). From a personal survey conduction, 80% agreed that it would be easier and cheaper to invest in a car as a everyday transportation mode rather than taking the bus or train. 2007 is the not the first year Chicago is facing the Doomsday crisis, this has become an annual tradition.

Around 2003 the CTA's transfer fare cost one dollar and fifty cents, less than four years later the fare has more than doubled to be at three dollars for a single ride. Throughout the years the increase fare rate had been set to a low price of twenty-five cents, which still had the riders up in screams. Opposed to the more than one dollar hike planned for CTA riders upcoming 2008.

2007 has been a hard year for riders, since early October red flyers have been passed out to alert riders of the upcoming "Doomsday." The dreaded day on which bus and train cuts are made, employees laid off, and prices raised all because Chicago cannot seem to make it run on their annual $1.097 billion budget.

The $1.097 billion budget for 2007, was not enough to cover the running of CTA and the Pace. Thus, the planned cutback as reported by MyFox, " Effective Jan. 20, the CTA will eliminate 81 of 154 bus routes, lay off more than 2,400 employees and raise fares to record levels" (Myfox 1). Of course there's a catch, that all this can be prevented, by a few simple signatures in Springfield, on which the whole Chicago land is awaiting on threads end for months now.

The original doomsday scheduled for November 1, 2007 has been setback to January 20, 2008. After a unsuccessful meeting with Springfield, a helpful gesture by Blagojevich who offered the CTA $27 million to pass by on the next 2 months. The bailout money is helping keep the tide at sea, while Chicago officials try to convince Springfield legislators to grant more money for the CTA. Though of course officials will go crawling back for more money, on other projects specially since there is a hardy junk of, "$22.4 million [which] originally was going to pay for bricks-and-mortar construction, highways and energy projects around the state [is missing]" (CBS2 1).

The CTA's lack of funding could have easily been fixed or prevented with better organization and budget planning. Chicago is not the only city running such a large mode of transportation, but it is one of the only cities that suffers from these crisis over and over again. Though, what is not comprehendible is the fact that even though Chicago is the 2nd largest transportation mode in the United States, with one of the highest tax charging cities as well, how does it still face doomsday year after year? With a few simple steps Chicago could drastically make a change in the budget of the CTA.

Better organization, budget planning and research on the CTA could have prevented the doomsday. Because the problem lies not with the amount being provided, but the way that amount is being used. It is more than high time some one takes a deeper look at the root of the issue, rather than trying to fix the surface errors. Chicago receives a large chunk of money each year, whose amount has been increasing yet the service decreasing. How is it that even though the budget is raised annually, train and bus cuts are made, fares are raised, and yet every year there is a even larger shortage? An analysis of customer opinions, worker evaluations, tracking information with comparison to other cities, large and small to help solve this problem. That is the way Chicago needs to head because if it continues to stay on this track, Chicago might be looking at the demise of the CTA in the near future.

Better budget planning in simple ways could drastically reduce the cost of running the system, which will avoid further problems every year, along with greater organization, and a deeper look into the system and its employees. These ways are a better solution than having officials as James Arneal say to ABC7 News" a couple of kids going back and forth on the school ground blaming each other" (CTA 'Doomsday' Delayed 5).
Better budget planning would simply start with the collaboration of organization to look into the breakdown of the cost to run the CTA. Sections divided into groups of maintenance, payroll, renovation projects, funding, and such to see which areas can have cutbacks. Firstly, starting with employees who take a large chunk of money to work, but don't always provide service in return. According to the personal survey many wrote about the horrible service provided by employees, who are either oblivious, mean spirited or unhelpful. With a small task of employee evaluations done not just by uniform workers who fill out a check sheet, but alongside a unexpected checkup as a regular rider to truly test employees. This can help eliminate many unnecessary employees, saving money and at the same time providing better service to the public.

Next would be better organization, again with surveys and a deeper analysis to help in understanding the routes receiving more traffic at which times and which stops. To help plan the route timings, and knowing which places don't need buses every 15 minutes (though you usually don't see one of them every 15 minutes as they claim), automatically cutting cost of busses running, and employees hours.

Again budget planning done rightfully could drastically lower the cost of transportation, which should be no problem looking at the other factors involved in the equation. What has to be understood before taking a step and reforming the system, is the rising question, why? Being the nations second largest transportation mode, along with one of the highest tax charging cities, why is the city not one of the best?

As Mary Mitchell from the Suntimes snarls at even higher tax increases to happen, yet the poor conditions of the city everywhere from colleges, roads, and of course the transportation will still remain a problem. She lashed out that "no body wants to fund the CTA", but as stated in this paper, the point is that it shouldn't need to be further funded, especially when it is already so largely funded. She bought forth the issue of George Ryan's scams and embellishment that went on for years, which certainly could be a large reason for the hardship of the CTA problems as well. Not just someone somewhere taking advantage of their position, but most likely many who are filling their pockets but emptying out the city's.

The Los Angeles Times reported that, "for months, state lawmakers have been locked in debate over how to find more than $226 million to balance the 2007 operating budget for the transit system, which runs buses, the elevated train lines known as "the El" and other regional rail, bus and shuttle lines" (Staff 1). The supposed struggle the lawmakers are going through to find the measly $226 million to balance off the shortage, doesn't help their case of looking like school going children. The problem seems to have a simple and easy solution, that has nothing to do with planning or better organization but common sense. The CTA since summer 2006 has been going through renovations for many stops on "the El". The most recent the brown line - whose reconstruction cost is $530 million at $29.4 million per stop (remember this is for the brown line only, don't forget the red, yellow, purple, and so on). Most stations that have no need for upgrades or renovations are being rebuilt, one by one. Isn't this extravagant handling unnecessary? Specially if half of them will no longer be open after the cuts of stops. Even having thought of using half of the budget put forward for renovations was used for funding the short fall, more than 6 stations could still be renovations with that budget. This way stops whose work could no longer be put off could get immediate attention, because quite certainly riders would rather deal with the old stops (some with hardly any problems) rather than them having to face doomsday. Simple math to calculate the funds being used, and readjusting priorities, this makes you think who's making these decisions, 1st graders?

Along with no sense they have no budget planning as I repeatedly mention. CTA argues that they do not receive enough funding, yet every year their funding amount is increased in quite the hefty millions and they still end up making yearly stops, employees cuts and fare increases. The equation clearly shows that they should be having a hefty sum to run the train after all these measures are taken. More is provided, less is used and they still end up facing doomsday. Which clearly shows, there is organization issues, along with terrible budget planning, and some were some heavy corruption.

So while year after year the annual Doomsday attack has left the Chicago rider emptying out their wallets, because reportedly the CTA does not receive enough funding. Chicago doesn't seem to be taking much action other than officials crawling to Springfield for money, or having riders dig deeper for that extra amount. Though maybe if they could conduct better inquiries and organization of information obtained and combined with budget planning to lead to a smaller budget, and a heftier wallet for rest. It's a much better idea than having to go down on their hands and feet to beg for more money from Springfield, because frankly they aren't budging and Chicago's not boarding this burning train.

Cited Work:
"Brown Line Stop Set to Reopen as Another Closes." Chicago Tribune. 24 Nov. 2007. 29 Nov. 2007 .

"Chicago's Transit Budget At a Crossroads." Los Angeles Times. 3 Nov. 2007. 29 Nov. 2007 .

"CTA 'Doomsday' Delayed." ABC7 Chicago. 3 Nov. 2007. 28 Nov. 2007 .

Hilkvitch, Jon. "CTA to Hit Riders Hard If No Deal is Reached." Chicago Tribune. 8 Nov. 2007. 29 Nov. 2007 .

Mitchell, Mary. "Why Snarl At Stroger Over Tax Hike?; the Real Problem: Paying to Help the Poor is Unpopular." Chicago Sun Times 21 Oct. 2007: 12a.

"Proposed CTA Budget is Bad News for Riders." MY FOX. 7 Nov. 2007. 28 Nov. 2007 .

"Records: CTA Money is Loss for Other Projects." CBS2 Chicago. 27 Nov. 2007. 29 Nov. 2007 .

Wronski, Richard. "Severe Cuts, Fare Raises OKd as Pace Passes Dire Budget." Chicago Tribune. 15 Nov. 2007. 29 Nov. 2007 .

Public Survey. 1 Dec. 2007.