Chicago’s New Transit Oversight Structure Faces Its First Major Test
Chicago’s transit system has a new regional overseer, but most riders should not expect a different operator or an immediate overhaul of daily service.
The Northern Illinois Transit Authority began operations on September 1, 2026, replacing the Regional Transportation Authority. At its first board meeting in Chicago on September 10, the agency elected Tom Kotarac as chair, named Jamie Rhee interim executive director and authorized a national search for a permanent director.
The meeting also produced the first major rider-facing decision: Beginning October 1, eligible SNAP recipients will be able to use reduced fares on CTA and Pace, adding to the existing Access program on Metra.
What changed for Chicago
NITA now provides regional oversight and coordination for CTA, Metra and Pace. Its responsibilities include regional funding coordination, fare policy, service standards, safety coordination and long-term planning.
That does not mean NITA immediately operates the trains and buses. CTA, Metra and Pace continue to run day-to-day service and retain their own boards.
For Chicago riders, the immediate change is therefore mostly about who sets the regional framework—not who drives the bus, dispatches the train or manages a station.
Reduced fares expand October 1
The Access Pilot Program will expand to CTA and Pace on October 1 for eligible riders receiving SNAP benefits. The reduced fares listed by NITA are $1.00 on Pace, $1.10 on CTA buses and $1.25 on CTA trains. Eligible riders will continue to have reduced-fare access on Metra.
NITA said more than 350,000 rides had been taken through the program since its February 1, 2024, launch, with the majority on the Metra Electric and Rock Island lines serving Chicago’s South Side and Southern Cook County.
The expansion is an approved near-term decision, but it is not available on September 14. Broader changes to fare coordination, transfers and payment systems remain future work.
Who controls NITA?
NITA has a 20-member board. Five members are appointed by the Chicago mayor, five by the governor, five by the Cook County Board president and one each by the chief executive of DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties.
The board elected Kotarac chair and selected Rhee to serve as interim executive director after an executive session. It also authorized the chair to negotiate and execute a contract with K&A, a national executive-search firm, to recruit a permanent executive director. The search is an authorized process; no permanent director has been selected.
WTTW reported that one director objected to the interim appointment, saying he had not been aware of candidates or a vetting process. The report said Kotarac indicated that future major decisions would be handled differently while the board moved ahead with the national search.
When could larger changes arrive?
The most consequential changes are tied to a multiyear transition. WTTW reported that CTA, Metra and Pace must submit service plans to NITA by April 30, 2028. The board must approve a regionwide service plan by December 31, 2028, with implementation planned for 2029.
A universal fare system is also planned, but it is not in place. According to WTTW, the procurement process is scheduled to be in place by July 1, 2027, with the full system targeted for February 1, 2030.
That timeline means Chicago riders should distinguish between NITA’s new authority and results that have not yet occurred. Reliability, safety, simpler transfers and coordinated schedules are goals and planning responsibilities—not verified outcomes today.
For now, the practical checklist is short: existing operators continue running service, eligible SNAP recipients can prepare for the October 1 Access expansion, and NITA becomes the central regional venue for decisions that could shape Chicago-area transit over the next several years.
Sources
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