(The Center Square) – Backed by an influx of taxpayer funds, the Northern Illinois Transit Authority board has voted to expand reduced fare programs for students and Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program recipients.
The NITA board held its first meeting in Chicago on Thursday.
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
