Rallies against eliminations of bus routes in Lincoln Park have generated public attention. I focused on transportation options around Lincoln Park Zoo, a typical family attraction that welcomes mostly the less mobile population of the city- young parents with toddlers, elderlies and exercisers. I would like to find out if visitors are satisfied with public transit in the neighborhood. 

If you live anywhere close to the lake, far away from the CTA lines, it can be a real hassle to travel home from the L’ stations. People who had positive travel experiences to the zoo mostly traveled from the Southside or downtown, where there were plenty of routes to the zoo. However, there aren’t enough East-West bus routes taking people directly from the L to the zoo.



Lincoln Park Zoo Mixdown

Metra proposed a fare increase of 10.8 percent across all fare types to help fund modernization. 

Medill's Lucy Ren reports.

At Metra’s new budget public hearing yesterday (Thursday), Metra officials proposed fare increase to help fund a $2.4 billion modernization plan. The plan focuses on replacing aging locomotives and maintaining safe and reliable service for commuters…

Nadine Lacombe is the representative of the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA). 

LACOMBE: Fare increase for all fare zones is estimated at 10.8 percent.

When suggested by a general witness that more funding should come from sources other than fare hikes, Martin Oberman, Board Chairman of Metra, responded that the fare increase will contribute to only a quarter of the capital program’s total budget, federal and state taxes will constitute the rest of the funding. 
 
When asked about what immediate improvements Metra riders should be expecting, Board Chairman Oberman said…

OBERMAN: They won’t see the new cars and locomotives immediately, but they should see them, we hope, by 2018. And they will also see we maintain our service. 

Michael Gillis, Metra’s Media Relations Manager…

GILLIS: They will start seeing more renovated cars, but it’s kind of a slow process. New bathrooms, new air conditioning… You will be seeing more of those eventually. 

The program has received both positive and negative public comments.

Garlen Armstrong: Thank you and Bravo.
Kevin Peterson: Too many people are just gonna be like, it’s not worth it.
Jennifer Pajda-De La O: [Fare increase] doesn’t have to be as, as much.

When asked about the plan’s potential effect on ridership, William R. Coulson, board member at the RTA said…

COULSON: I think the demand is, inelastic.

All comments will be consolidated and presented to Metra’s board members. A board meeting and a vote on the budget is scheduled for next Friday. The proposal will be presented to the RTA in December. Upon finalization, Fare increases and policy changes will take effect February 1, 2015.

For Medill, I’m Lucy Ren.


Source List

Metra
Martin J. Oberman, Board Chairman of Metra, 312-322-6769 (Metra Media Relations Office)
Michael Gillis, Media Relations Manager, 312-498-6758

Regional Transit Authority (RTA)
William R. Coulson, Board Member, 312-913-3217

Public
Jennifer Pajda-De La O, Ph.D student at UIC, jpajda2@uic.edu
Kevin Peterson, assistant secretary of Citizens Standing Together, 773-896-8126


LUCY R - Metra Public Hearing 2015

08/12/2014
Lucy Ren
Transportation/Chicago
Audio Transcript
Word Count: 484

The Illinois House passed a bill last Wednesday that would impose basic safety standards for ridesharing companies like Uber and Lyft. 

State Rep. Joe Sosnowski, has been supportive of the bill.

SOSNOWSKI: basically just setting some basic insurance standards and background check requirements.  It’s basically what Uber was looking for. So I think it’s a good plan that would provide kind of a baseline, and it will allow the company to, hopefully, flourish around the state.   

Ashiq Shresdh has been a cab driver for four years.

SHRESDH: I really don’t have much idea about the passing bill, but the Uber is taking our business.

Donnée has been an Uber driver for a year. 

DONNÉE: Truthfully, I don’t know how much more strict they can be. They do background check and they do driver’s license check. If you don’t have a good background record or a good driving record, they would not let you drive.

TAXI DRIVER #1:  Being a taxi driver, you have to go to community college for two weeks intensive course, and you take the exams, and it’s not easy to pass like that.

Ezekiel is in his junior year of college. He tells how he became a Lyft driver. 

EZEKIEL: So I’m actually doing it for school. I go to DePaul. I don’t wanna say it’s a driving test. He just sit in the back and says like, ok, go here. And then he explains to where he wants to go. So basically it’s like practice for what I’m really gonna do. 

Mara Georges, a spokeswoman for the Illinois Transportation Trade Association, said the new bill is a “compromised piece of legislation.”

GEORGES: If taxi drivers are required to get chauffeur licenses,  why should ride share drivers be exempt from that?

DONNÉE: They wanted us to get a chauffeur’s license, but I heard they went down there and crushed that.  It’s the taxi drivers are usually the ones that have the most accidents. They are always having accidents.

I care more about my life and my customers’ lives. Because even though I have a 35 years of clean driving record, cab drivers and a lot other drivers, they drive crazy!

Although most drivers of taxicabs, uberX and Lyft across Chicago haven’t heard about the new bill, they expressed different concerns about the ridesharing business. 

GAVIT(taxi driver #2): They are not qualified. They have no skills…some of them. If something happens, you know… it’s a problem, right?

Taxi Driver#3: Uber vehicles are not under the control of any official agent. It’s illegal I think.

Taxi Driver #4: I’m not gonna say Uber is no good. No, if they regulate them as they regulate cab drivers, I think they will be fine.

For Medill, I’m Lucy Ren.




lucyrenyi