Ammons-Backed Law Delivers Major Investment in Affordable Transit for Downstate Communities

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Nearly $150 million in new funding for downstate communities will expand access to affordable, reliable public transit options in Central Illinois under a major transportation reform law passed by state Rep. Carol Ammons, D-Urbana.

“Our community has a robust public transit system and this legislation will help us run our buses more safely and timely,” said Rep. Ammons. “Whether a student going to class or a parent heading to work, everyone should have access to an efficient public
transit system. This funding allows us to invest in our transit and make that efficiency our reality.”

The 54 transit agencies serving communities outside of the Chicago area offer an affordable way for people to get to work, get home, and go to the store—and people in downstate communities rely on these options more than 30 million times every year. Though many have focused on the challenges facing Chicago transit, Ammons worked to call attention to the state’s chronic underfunding of downstate public transportation systems, including the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District.

Ammons passed Senate Bill 2111, which provides a historic level of new investment in downstate transit systems, delivering $129 million to improve operations and an additional $20 million to expand service and improve infrastructure—without new taxes
or fees on downstate communities. Ammons’ law achieves this record funding using existing state funds and interest generated from the state’s Transportation Fund—not from any additional taxes.

The new law also prioritizes efficiency, by creating an Interagency Coordinating Committee on Transit Innovation, Integration, and Reform within the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) to better integrate various downstate transit systems.

Senate Bill 2111 was signed into law earlier today.