The Chicago way

With all due respect to Sean Connery…

Null Space weighs in on my Sunday Post-Gazette Forum commentary on the Port Authority labor dispute. He raises a very good point about the lack of detail on the recent contract settlement agreed to by the Chicago Transit Authority that addresses many of the same issues facing the Port Authority. (His “Away All Boats” reference, alas, does not hold water.)

The accommodations by the CTA’s 17 unions include:

• The unions agreed to relieve the CTA of its healthcare obligation by settling for a little more than 50 cents on each dollar owed;
• Union members went from paying nothing for healthcare coverage to paying 3% of base wages.
• Retirees go from paying nothing for healthcare coverage to paying up to 45% of the premium cost.
• And the age for retirement with full benefits goes from 55 years old/25 years of service to 64/25.

There were also changes on pension, authority governance, and other issues that are not directly on point with the Port Authority situation. But you can judge for yourself. A full description of the CTA reform package is available here on the web site of Democratic Illinois State Rep. Julie Hamos.

Posted by: Ken Zapinski

More on speeding up the T

Last week, I noted that the Port Authority’s T system has an unusually high number of stops compared to other systems and that all those stops help slow the system to a relative crawl. Here’s another reason — the way we pay fares.

Most light-rail systems use what  is called “proof-of-payment,” which works largely on the honor system. There is no farebox when you enter the train. You pay at a machine at the station and receive a receipt/ticket.  If you’re riding the train and you’re asked to show your receipt, you better be able to produce one or you’re in trouble.

Yes, there are people who cheat the system, don’t pay the fare, and play the percentages that a transit official won’t ask to see their ticket. But the advantage is that it greatly speeds boarding. When a train pulls up, all doors open and people can get on in any of them.

Contrast that to the T stops where only the first door opens and everyone must wait in line to go through a single door and flash their pass or put their money in the farebox under the watchful eye of the operator. That increases the time spent at each stop and slows down the overall operation.

The average T speed is barely faster than the average bus operating speed (less than 4% faster, according to the Port Authority’s report), while other systems are much faster. Portland’s light rail, for instance, is 36% faster than its companion bus network.

Posted by: Ken Zapinski