CHICAGO, Oct. 13 Chicago residents face a hike in bus and commuter rail fares and the elimination of more than half of the city's bus routes.
Seniors and students are to be exempt from increases announced Friday as part of the Chicago Transit Authority's 2008 "doomsday" budget, the Chicago Tribune reported Saturday.
The CTA plans to eliminate 39 bus routes Nov. 4 and another 43 in January, leaving 72 routes to service the city, the Tribune reported.
The commuter rail line Metra is expected to hike fares by 20 percent and reduce service on some lines in February, the Tribune reported.
Regular cash fares would increase from $2 to $2.50 on Nov. 4 and to $2.75 Jan. 6. It would cost $3.25 to travel on Metra during peak periods. Monthly passes would rise from $75 to $84 in November and to $94 in January.
If all the cuts happen as proposed because of a lack of state subsidies, the CTA expects daily ridership to drop by about 250,000, to about 1.35 million. The CTA also plans to lay off about 22 percent of its 11,000 employees.
Copyright 2007 by UPI
