1. United States
2. Ill.
3. Letter

Save Paratransit Now: Support $1.5 billion and an empowered RTA. I use the CTA system every day to get to work, for recreational activities, and to visit my friends and family in the suburbs and city. The CTA is facing a $771 million fiscal cliff, which is incredibly concerning to me and the millions of other Illinoisans who rely on the CTA, Metra, and Pace busses to get around. If the 40% service cuts happen due to the fiscal cliff, not only will many people struggle to travel around our state, traffic will increase exponentially for those who prefer to drive. Those who prefer using paratransit services will be forced to drive as well, adding more cars to our streets. Traffic on our major interstates is already a huge problem, with constant bumper to bumper traffic on I-290 and neighboring highways and cutting public transit services would only make this issue worse. In 2024, the region’s fixed route system finished out the year with a total of 361 million rides. Imagine 40% of those rides, 144 million trips, being car rides, increasing traffic and car accident numbers. Fully funded public transit keeps Illinoisans safer and gives our neighbors the right to choose how they want to travel. Additionally, these cuts would be reducing the area where paratransit service is available by 66% on weekends, leaving millions of people with disabilities all over the region without reliable transportation on those days. I'm writing to you as a constituent, please enable $1.5 billion in new operating funding during the current legislative session. This funding should be paired with reform to establish an empowered RTA with the authority needed to improve service and increase accountability for riders and residents. If a funding solution is not found during this legislative session, millions of Illinoisans will be left without transportation options. Access to public transit and paratransit is critical to my life and the lives of so many of my neighbors, and we deserve a world class system. Thank you for your consideration, I hope you will support the transit system! It's a good thing for both transit riders and car drivers alike.