Delgado Transit Reforms Package Signed into Law

CHICAGO – A major transit reform package backed by state Rep. Eva-Dina Delgado, D-Chicago, a top negotiator for the House Public Transit Working Group, will make buses and trains in Northeast Illinois safer, more reliable and more efficiently managed.

“Transit has always been about more than fare cards, tracks and timetables; transit is about people and getting them where they need to go safely, reliably and efficiently,” Delgado said. “The reforms package signed into law earlier today meets the moment and lays the foundation for a system that better serves the hundreds of thousands of trips performed daily across multiple counties, transit agencies and communities. I am honored to have partnered with the House Public Transit Working Group to deliver a transformative package of reforms that not only rescues regional public transit, but allows us to do more than patch a broken system – create a better one.”

Across our state, public transit takes people to work, takes people home, and connects people, businesses, and communities more than 400 million times every year. But that system has faced major challenges; fragmented governance, uneven investment, and post-COVID ridership losses have left transit struggling with unreliable service, delayed trains, canceled routes and a looming fiscal cliff that’s threatening to derail it all.

Delgado worked to save and improve transit by passing Senate Bill 2111, a transformational package of reforms that brings Pace, CTA, and Metra together into one modern, efficient system. The new Northern Illinois Transit Agency (NITA) is a major step toward a transit system that gets people where they need to go affordably, protects taxpayers, and offers a better experience for riders and workers.

Delgado’s reforms mean:

• More efficient administration: NITA will operate with new internal and independent auditors to crack down on waste, fraud and abuse in transit. It will be required to maintain a reserve fund to prevent future bailouts.
• Reliable, modern service: NITA will bring uniformity to fares and schedules to better meet the needs of riders—whether on buses or trains, whether in the city or the suburbs.
• A safer experience for riders and workers: A multijurisdictional law enforcement team will step up enforcement right away. NITA will deploy ambassadors across the system to assist people experiencing mental health crises, and a permanent office of safety will lead long-term planning to keep riders and workers safe.

Senate Bill 2111 was signed into law Tuesday.