Transit leaders could develop Chicago area police force next year under new transit law

Transit leaders could vote to create a regional transit police force next January, and new "transit ambassadors" could be monitoring the CTA, Metra and Pace by July of next year. By this November, commuters should have a regional transit app to file complaints and report crimes.

Those are some of the new security measures required in the Northern Illinois Transit Authority Act, signed last month by Gov. JB Pritzker, which will overhaul the metro's transit system. The Regional Transportation Authority laid out an updated timeline of the measures at its Thursday board meeting.

Nothing changes until the law goes into effect June 1. That's when the law eliminates the RTA board and replaces it with a NITA board, which will have new powers over policy and fare setting.

But that didn't stop RTA board members from asking what they can do in the meantime to address concerns about transit crime. High profile attacks on the CTA have drawn the attention of the Trump administration, which has threatened to cut funding if the agency doesn't address safety concerns.

The RTA is expecting $300 million in additional funds later this year, when new taxes and funding sources go into effect.

"If the service board, particularly like CTA, wanted to do something to supplement security ... [such as adding] 50 additional officers ... is there a method for us to fund that in advance of June or September?" board member Dennis Mondero asked.

Rob Nash, RTA's director of government affairs, said it could be addressed with a budget amendment or intergovernmental agreement. But, he said, "unfortunately, we're in a little bit of a transition period where some of the governing bodies the legislation lays out are not yet constituted."

One of those governing bodies is the NITA law enforcement task force, to be created when the bill goes into effect, and to be run by the Cook County sheriff's office. The task force must decide by January 2027 whether to recommend to a newly formed Coordinated Safety Response Council to create a sworn officer law enforcement program.

Within two months of that recommendation, a new Office of Transit Safety and Experience will develop a plan to implement it, according to a new RTA summary of the bill. The executive director of NITA will then pick a full-time chief transit safety officer, who must have law enforcement experience, to lead that office.

The law's transit ambassador program must be up and running by July 1, 2027, with training to begin Jan. 1 of that year. The ambassadors will be trained, unarmed personnel on trains, buses and stations to help with the customer experience, and be a liaison between customers and law enforcement and social services. At least 80% of ambassadors must be hired from the CTA, according to the law.

RTA to recommend higher ride cap for ADA rideshare program

The board also discussed plans to raise Pace's monthly cap to rides for ADA customers to its Rideshare and Taxi access programs, also known as RAP and TAP. The board implemented a monthly cap of 30 rides per person last October. But the RTA is considering raising the cap to 40 for riders who request it, said Peter Kersten, who leads the RTA's regional planning division.

Kersten said 24% of ADA riders who used the program during a period last year hit the monthly cap. RTA Executive Director Leanne Redden said the RTA would use his report to come back later with a formal recommendation to raise the ride cap.