Hanson’s Transit Reform Law Creates Safe, Efficient and Reliable Public Transportation

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CHICAGO – Public transportation across Illinois will be safer, more reliable, and more efficiently managed under a major transit reform package law co-sponsored and passed by state Rep. Matt Hanson, D-Montgomery.

“I see firsthand the challenges public transit riders face on an everyday basis. They deserve a better system. For the healthcare professionals working 14 hour shifts and the students heading off to school, the safety and reliability of transit is crucial,” said Hanson. “This new legislation intends to meet the needs of riders in my district and across the suburbs that rely on public transportation daily, providing them with an updated, efficient system.”

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. Outside of Chicago, communities rely on public transit over 30 million times annually, but downstate transit agencies are chronically underfunded.

Hanson has historically been and continues to be a strong advocate for equitable transit throughout the entire state of Illinois. During Veto Session in October, Hanson’s hard work resulted in the passing of 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 Authority (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. Additionally, allotted funds for downstate transit systems set out to expand service and improve infrastructure for the 54 transit agencies outside of Chicago.

Hanson’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.
• Serving communities outside Chicago: Downstate public transit systems will receive $129 million to improve operations and an additional $20 million to expand service and improve infrastructure—without new taxes or fees on downstate communities.

Senate Bill 2111 was signed into law Tuesday.