Riders' options few if bus routes close

Like clockwork, Pace bus No. 654 picks up Ray Campbell at his condo every weekday morning and takes him to the Glen Ellyn Metra station in time to catch the train to Chicago.

That reliable routine, however, could evaporate in November if state lawmakers fail to reach a compromise on funding public transit.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich last week offered a bailout that will avert immediate fare hikes and route cancellations.

But there's no long-term salve in sight to the financial crisis facing agencies such as Pace and the CTA, with Blagojevich and General Assembly leaders at loggerheads over a sales tax increase the governor opposes.

"Thanks for the reprieve, but as a commuter I'm sick and tired of dealing with the problem," Campbell says.

"They've been working on a fix for almost three years -- they need to deal with it."

Because he is visually impaired, Campbell can't switch to a car if Route 654 is discontinued Nov. 4 as he fears.

And more vehicles on the road create more problems, he contends.

"Each person using public transit is one car not on the road," said Campbell, a disability rights advocate who works with The Chicago Lighthouse, which serves the blind and visually impaired.

He could use Ride DuPage, a county transit service for seniors and residents with disabilities, which Glen Ellyn participates in, but it would cost more than his $1.25 Pace fare. Ride DuPage, which costs $1.50 for trips under six miles, also has income eligibility limits and provides a maximum of two round trips a week.

Another option would be to find someone willing to drive him to the train station every day, but it's not ideal.

"I fought too hard for independence. I don't want to fall back on that," Campbell said.

With a budget crisis looming, Pace had planned to raise fares 25 cents on local routes, and the CTA had promised a $1 boost. Pace was also set to cut 38 Metra station bus feeder routes and 23 main routes.

The temporary cash influx is essentially borrowing from next year's state transit subsidy.

"While we're happy to have it … all it does is postpone everything," Pace spokesman Patrick Wilmot said.

"If a solution is not found, we'll need to go ahead with everything, and that's a lot of routes and fare increases."

Another uncertainty is that Pace was forced to cancel contracts with several outside companies that run certain bus routes in anticipation of running out of cash.

Pace, Metra and the CTA are facing a $240 million deficit and anticipate needing an extra $400 million next year.

While the governor advocates recapturing part of the 1.75 percent of all sales tax dollars kept by retailers to cover their collection costs, legislative leaders advocate increasing the sales tax rate, adding 50 cents to every $100 spent on merchandize in the collar counties and 25 cents per $100 in Cook County.

Bus 654 stalwart Ward Highstone, also of Glen Ellyn, who works for J.P. Morgan Chase in downtown Chicago, has been riding since 1974.

The transit crisis "is all politics," he said. "It's sad (state leaders) can't get together."

If the bus route is canceled, Highstone will have to drive.

"I'm not happy about that at all," he said. "I'll have to find a parking spot, and I'm not happy about that either."

The wait for a spot in the municipal lots near the train station is about a year.

The state Senate is expected to vote on the sales tax plan Monday.

Campbell hopes someone in Springfield is listening.

"This affects real people," he said.