Why paratransit services would be so drastically reduced

The American with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires transit operators to provide ADA paratransit service within ¾ of a mile of where Pace and CTA bus routes and CTA ‘L’ trains operate during the same days and hours they are offered. Therefore, cuts to Pace and CTA routes, elimination of weekend service, and other reductions in the daily hours of operation all have an impact on paratransit service.

What is at stake for Chicago's transit system

Without a funding solution by the end of the Illinois General Assembly’s spring session, the Chicago region’s transit system will be decimated—leaving one in five workers in the City of Chicago without the use of transit for their daily commute; ending all weekend bus service for Pace customers; eliminating early morning and late evening service for Metra; wiping out nearly 3,000 transit jobs; and dealing a devastating blow to the regional economy.

For paratransit users across the region, this will mean the service area for paratransit rides is reduced by 66% on weekends, leaving millions of people with disabilities all over the region without reliable transportation on weekends.

It doesn't have to be this way

An empowered RTA, supported by sustainable increased funding, can transform transit in the Chicago region. With $1.5 billion in additional operating funding and reform to strengthen accountability and efficiency across the system, service improvements could include more frequency that could cut customer wait times in half.

More than 60,000 of the region’s most vulnerable residents rely on ADA paratransit service to get where they need to go. This point-to-point service provided by Pace is available to people living with a disability who can’t access regular, fixed-route transit. Paratransit is a federally protected civil right for these riders and a federally mandated program. Losing access to this service due to cuts made to fixed-route would be devastating to ADA paratransit riders and significantly limit their mobility.

Paratransit riders pay $3.25 per trip, however, the actual cost of delivering this service is more than $70 per trip. In 2025 the state budgeted $10 million to support ADA paratransit service in the Chicago region—only 4 percent of the total cost of $249 million. This is not enough to support the growth of ADA Paratransit, which at a projected 4.4 million rides this year will exceed pre-COVID demand. Given the Chicago area’s aging population, these numbers will continue to rise in the coming years—and funding should rise with it.

Sign the letter on this page to share your story with lawmakers about why we need to save paratransit now.

Save Paratransit Now

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