Waitin' for the Bus

How deep? On November 4, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) will suspend 39 routes, five of which will have no alternatives whatsoever along all or part of their routes. The suburban bus agency, Pace, will eliminate 36 routes that have no alternatives, eliminate Saturday service on ten routes, and Sunday service on one. 25 more routes will be cut in December. In January, CTA will cut another 43 routes.

The disabled may be even more disenfranchised. Cuts in paratransit service will reduce the coverage to within 1/4 mile of a bus route - if there's a bus route remaining.

    I got my brown paper bag and my take-home pay. - "Waitin' for the Bus"

But not as much take-home pay.

For those of us (myself included) with decent salaries, November fare increases of 25¢ to 50¢, with another 25¢ to 50¢ tacked on in December, may not seem like much. But for the working poor, the increases can take a huge bite out of income. According to a 2007 study published in Urban Affairs Review, average annual income for parents who moved from welfare to work under TANF plateaus at less than $16,000.

If we take the 50¢ peak fare increase (during rush hour, when most working people are traveling) and double it (to cover both directions) and multiply it by 50 five day weeks, we take an additional $250 out of the pockets of these parents' meager income - and that's if they only take one bus. Unless they buy ahead with a transit card or Chicago Card, they will pay the fare on each bus because transfers are not available for cash fares.

While we are telling poor parents to work, we are cutting off their way of getting to work. This twisted message is confusing - and immoral.

Have mercy, old bus be packed up tight.
Have mercy, old bus be packed up tight.
Well, I'm glad just to get on and home tonight. - "Waitin' for the Bus"

When and if a bus comes, riders are unlikely to find a seat. Fewer routes and greater time between buses (and trains) will lead to overcrowding. Perhaps we can get the "pushers" from Japan to help load the trains.

Right on, that bus done got me back.
Right on, that bus done got me back.
Well, I'll be ridin' on the bus till I Cadillac. - Waitin' for the Bus

Of course, those of us with automobiles don't have to concern ourselves with public transportation. Unless, of course, we have to share the roads with others who have been driven out of public transportation and onto the roadways. Greater numbers of vehicles - many that may be more prone to breakdown - will be flooding the streets and highways, increasing commute times, causing gridlock, consuming more fossil fuels, increasing pollution and greenhouse gases. When one imagines the cost in lost time, fuel, auto maintenance, health, and climate change, it is good to consider what public transportation is worth to society.

The story of Nero Fiddling while Rome burned is a myth, but a vivid image. Likewise, Ezekiel notes that the sin of Sodom was being prideful, well-fed, and conceited while not helping the poor and needy. Those of us who are living on more than $16,000 a year ought to learn that this world is not just about us.

If we truly love one another - if we truly care about those of us who are so closely related that less than 1% of our DNA differs between people - we ought to rethink our priorities. As individuals, we can act by letting our representatives in Springfield know what we think. As employers, we can offer our low-wage employees transportation cards.

Time to hear it from Billy, Dusty, and Frank:





References:

• Chicago Transit Authority
  
• Pace Bus
• Urban Affairs Review, Vol. 43, No. 2, 139-170 (2007)