Fare hikes and service cuts recently proposed by the Chicago Transit Authority has the unemployed worried it will further hinder their job searches.
Fare hikes and service cuts recently proposed by the Chicago Transit Authority has the unemployed worried it will further hinder their job searches. “I can barely afford the fare now with my unemployment benefits. Now the CTA wants me to pay more with less? I can’t afford to pay more and I can’t afford not to look for work (since my unemployment is set to run out in a few weeks),” said Brianna Howell, 39, who has been unemployed since November. Working mothers are also afraid that they will not be able to afford bus fare to keep their low paying jobs. “I have kids to feed and I need to work,” said Karen Strawberry, 34. “I work as a waitress in Park Ridge by O’Hare Airport. I make minimum wage and can barely afford the bus fare now. I don’t know what I am going to do if bus passes increase.” With the national unemployment rate nearing 10 percent and economists predicting the rate to go up even higher, more low-income riders depend on affordable public transportation, said Tanya DePeiza, executive director of Women In Progress Inc., a Chicago social service organization that helps female ex-felons re-enter society. “These groups of individuals (ex-felons) are often the forgotten ones but it’s important to remember that they make up a large portion of the unemployed,” DePeiza explained. The CTA board will meet in November to consider the proposal and, if approved, changes would take effect February 2010. Proposed changes include: • Raising express bus fare from $2.25 to $3 • Increasing rail fares to $3 from $2.25 • Increasing regular bus fare to $2.50 from $2.25 • Increasing the cost of daily, three-day, weekly and monthly passes. A daily pass would go to $8 from $5, weekly pass from $23 to $30, and a 30-day pass from $86 to $110. Terry Peterson, chairman of the CTA Board, said the fare hike, service cuts and union givebacks are needed to plug a $300 million budget gap.
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