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Peter Kersten, division manager of the Regional Planning Group,
said Cook County helps fund the Access pilot program for SNAP
recipients.
“Survey data suggests that expansion of the Access pilot to
(Chicago Transit Authority) and Pace will dramatically increase
the number of rides, given that each of those two have a higher
prevalence of SNAP participants among their current ridership
base,” Kersten said.
Kersten said the pilot could be made permanent during the 2027
budget process.
The board also voted to extend reduced CTA and Pace fares for
students all hours of the day and all days of the year, instead
of just on school days during certain hours.
“New funding in the NITA Act and amended into the 2026 regional
budget covers any lost fare revenue or administrative expense,”
Kersten said.
Senate Bill 2111 was passed by the Illinois General Assembly
last fall and signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker in December.
State Sen. Ram Villivalam, D-Chicago, told the board on Thursday
that the state legislature delivered $1.5 billion to fund public
transit.
“There’s a lot of sayings in Springfield. One of them is, ‘you
never get what you ask for.’ In this case, we did,” Villivalam
said.
Funding came from a diversion of roughly $860 million annually
from the state’s motor fuel tax, a 0.25% sales tax hike for
consumers in the six-county NITA region and $200 million from
the state’s road fund.
Villivalam’s legislation also gave the Illinois Tollway Board
new power to raise tolls, which it did last month. Starting on
January 1, 2027, iPass users in most passenger vehicles will pay
about 45 cents more per toll and rates for commerical vehicles
will go up 30%.
Regular transit fares across the region remain unchanged.
The NITA board selected former Regional Transportation Authority
board member Tom Kotarac to serve as chair.
Kotarac said the NITA Act passed last fall can help build a
different future.
“It’ll be a system where a bus stop or a train station is one of
the safest places to be in the region,” Kotarac said.
Last December, the Federal Transit Administration said assaults
against customers on CTA vehicles and property increased 150% in
the last five years. The FTA threatened to withhold up to $50
million from the CTA if it failed to enhance security.
The board tabbed former Chicago Department of Aviation
Commissioner Jamie Rhee to serve as NITA’s interim executive
director.
Sean Reed contributed to this story
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