Passengers could be paying $3.00 for one of these.

Chicago commuters are facing fare hikes and service reductions on the CTA. Due to declining sources of public funding and the current economy, CTA President, Richard L. Rodriguez, detailed changes for bus and rail service for the 2010 budget.

The good news is that no bus or rail routes will be removed. However, service will be at lower frequencies and either start later or end earlier – Night Owl and rush hour service will not be impacted.

Bus fares are expected to rise 25 cents to $2.50 and rail fares will increase by 75 cents to $3.00. Passes will also increase – $8 for the 1-Day pass, $18 for the 3-Day pass, $30 for the 7-Day pass and $110 for the 30-Day pass. Reduced and Transfer fares will remain unchanged.

All service changes and fare increases are set to take place starting February 7^th, 2010.

This budget will be presented during a meeting in November 2009 to the RTA and Cook County Board. The transit authority must submit a balanced budget to the RTA before November 15^th, 2009 and must be approved by the RTA before the end of the year.

See the full proposed budget on the CTA web site.