Crawford’s Transit Reform Law Makes Area Buses and Trains Safe, Efficient, and Reliable

CHICAGO – Buses and trains will be safer, more reliable, and more efficiently managed under a major transit reform package law passed by Rep. Mike Crawford, D-Chicago, improving the rider experience for his district and millions of Illinoisans across Chicagoland.

“I can’t stress enough how important equitable public transportation is in my district,” said Crawford. “It’s how people get to work. It’s how children get to school—it’s how I got to school. We deserve for our daily commutes to be safe, timely, and affordable, for our children and for ourselves. And while there is still much more work to be done, this bill brings us one step closer to a transit system we can be proud of.”

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. Seniors and people with disabilities are disproportionately affected by these challenges, hindering their ability to use the transit system and limiting accessibility to the city as a whole.

Crawford began his fight for equitable transit as a pre-teen, testifying before a CTA panel on the importance of public transportation to him and his community. He continued that fight 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 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, Crawford secured new stops at Englewood and Austin, increasing accessibility and safety for the riders in his community.

Crawford’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.

Crawford attended the signing of Senate Bill 2111 on Tuesday.