Study: Road Pricing Could Boost Chicago Transit

A new analysis of Chicago’s transit system “finds that blending charges for drivers with adjustments to transit fares and schedules offers a promising path” for shifting away from private vehicle use and funding effective public transit.

“The researchers considered three transportation policies: adjusting bus and train fares, changing bus and train frequencies, and introducing a fee on cars driving into the city.” They then modeled various scenarios, from one that would give the CTA unlimited funding to ‘more realistic’ options that would adjust road pricing or transit service.

The best option, according to the team, would be a combination of road pricing and changes to transit frequencies and fares. “If authorities pursue both policies simultaneously, the researchers find, the revenue collected from charging commuters 30 cents a kilometer could subsidize cheaper, more convenient public transit. The CTA could slash fares to next to nothing: 16 cents for a bus fare compared with $2.25 today and 26 cents for the train, down from $2.50. Excess revenue from road fees (any collected beyond the amount required to finance the CTA at this level) could go back to residents in the form of rebates, lessening the budgetary strain on middle-income commuters.”