CTA proposes three operating budgets for FY26 due to financial cliff

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has proposed three operating budgets for fiscal year (FY) 2026. The agency says the three budget scenarios maintain, build on or reverse the successes achieved so far in 2025.Each scenario calls for a modest fare increase, as requested by the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA), to provide additional revenue due to potential funding scenarios the agency could face as part of a looming financial cliff. 

“This is a unique and unprecedented budget season for our agency,” said CTA Acting President Nora Leerhsen. “Like transit agencies across the country, CTA has a significant funding need, and we are planning for multiple scenarios for next year. As a part of my commitment to full transparency, the 2026 budget lays out three scenarios along with my vision for the continued, impactful investment for our riders and employees. As we work with our state legislators to find a funding solution, I am hopeful that we can look back on this period as one in which CTA was set on a course for transformational investment.” 

The following are the three budget scenarios CTA proposed for its FY26 budget: 

• Budget A – Baseline budget that assumes typical state funding levels that solely address the existing structural funding gap.  
• Budget B –   Growth budget that fixes the funding disparity and allows CTA to close its budget gap, plus make significant investments to deliver services requested by riders. 
• Budget C – Reduced budget that has no additional funding to address the structural funding gap, resulting in a significant cut to service.  

CTA says it is continuing to plan ahead with the creation of budgets A and B, which offer opportunities for the agency to continue to seek out new measures for improving key areas of the transit experience, including addressing safety and security of riders; enhanced customer communications; continued improvement of transit connections and services; and ongoing investments to provide cleaner, brighter, safer, more modern and accessible facilities.  

Fare collection 

CTA, as well as its regional transit partners Metra and Pace Suburban Bus, have included a fare increase as part of their 2026 proposed operating budgets at the request of the RTA. On average, CTA notes more than one million weekday rides are taken on CTA buses and trains. CTA has not had a fare increase since 2018.  

Proposed fare and price plan change details are:  

• Base fare for both bus and rail increases $0.25.  
• 1-Day Pass increasing by $1.  
• 7-Day Pass increasing by $5.  
• 30-Day Pass increasing by $10.  
• Regional Connect Pass increasing by $15.   
• Ventra single-ride tickets increase to $3.50.  
• Pay-as-you-go payments increase to $3 for those using contactless debit or credit cards (plastic and digital wallet) directly at the Ventra readers. 
• Elimination of the 3-Day Pass to streamline fare offerings.  

CTA says reduced fares continue to be at or under 50% of full fares, complying with federal requirements.  

Progress made in 2025

• Workforce: Since 2023, the CTA has hired more than 6,500 employees serving all positions and surpassing bus and rail operator pre-pandemic staffing levels.  
• Improved accessibility: CTA now has 108 of its 146 rail stations (75%) fully accessible to those who use mobility devices following the completion of work to rebuild and re-open five stations this year: Lawrence, Argyle, Berwyn and Bryn Mawr on the Red Line and the Racine Blue Line.  
• Enhanced customer communications: Improving customer access to real-time information, including new digital displays featuring system and elevator statuses and real-time arrival information in the entries of the newest Red Line stations; piloting of new solar powered bus arrival displays at bus stops; ongoing upgrades to the CTA Chatbot; and continued upgrades to improve the accuracy of estimated arrival information in CTA Bus Tracker.  
• System security: CTA has worked closely with the Chicago Police Department (CPD) to design and execute targeted approaches to the way CTA system security is addressed, utilizing greater rider and employee input.  
• Security missions: Feedback provided by riders through the CTA Chatbot has resulted in the strategic deployment of security missions that target trending issues impacting riders in key corridors across the system. These missions are led by security guards and supported by the CPD.  
• Expanded Strategic Decision Support Center (SDSC):  In July, CPD and CTA opened a new and expanded SDSC dedicated to CTA, which integrates data and other information from various systems, including cameras and radio transmissions. It serves as a collaborative hub for CPD officers, detectives and intelligence analysts. CPD officers assigned to the SDSC monitor and track active and ongoing incidents, as well as assist detectives in identifying and locating offenders that commit crimes on the public transit system.  
• New ambassador pilots: CTA held a transit community safety workshop with community, healthcare, security and advocacy partners to discuss innovative solutions that can better support riders and address security concerns on the system. Coming out of the workshop are plans to launch various crisis intervention and violence interruption ambassador pilots in 2026.

Service enhancements

• Launch of the new Bus Frequent Network, which CTA says by the end of the year will have a total of 20 routes systemwide providing service every 10 minutes or less during most periods.  
• The agency says strategic adjustments were also made to the delivery of service along select bus routes to better capture new mobility patterns and improve connections, including the #53 Pulaski, which was extended to Daley College and Ford City Mall; and the #93 California/Dodge route was extended to the Logan Square Blue Line station, closing 1¼ mile transit gap and providing new Sunday service. CTA notes the changes are expected to add 2,000 additional daily riders to the #53 route and provide 62,500 people access to new service via the #93 extension.  
• CTA’s latest rider satisfaction surveys revealed that 69% of riders indicated they were satisfied with their CTA experience, an increase of 8% over the same period in 2024.  

More information on the proposed 2026 budget can be found on CTA’s website.