Improving and Expanding Transit is Essential

An equitable public transportation system is a crucial step towards combating climate change, reducing air pollution, addressing traffic congestion, and expanding mobility. But how we design such a system is also at stake. Working-class people of color bear the cost of an inequities, inefficiencies and unreliability.

When people can count on the bus or train to get where they need to go, they can easily access jobs, education, medical care, culture, goods and services, and the daily life of their communities. Accessibility to quality public transit means greater economic mobility and lower household costs. Transportation systems that prioritize people’s access to good transit are necessarily inclusive, without barriers linked to race, income, age, or ability.

In order to win meaningful change, we believe we need power in numbers. We are creating a transit rider union that works in coalition with transit workers, community organizations, and advocates will ensure that Chicagoans most impacted by the inequities of the current public transit system will have a seat at the table when decisions are made and priorities are established. Rider unions in cities across the country have led campaigns addressing public transit needs of communities and workers, and continue to hold their city leaders accountable ensuring that funding for public transit is equitable and that quality service is available to all. 

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