We all know the frustration: youβre making great time on the bus until someone parks in the bus lane βjust for a minute.β In Chicago, those minutes have added up to decades of declining speedsβbut thatβs about to change.
In part two of our Chicago series, weβre diving deep into the massive changes coming to the CTA and Pace bus systems. Thanks to the landmark NITA Act passed in late 2025, Chicago is receiving $1.5 billion a year in new funding to avoid the transit death spiral andβmore importantlyβto finally give buses the priority they deserve.
From automated camera enforcement to "orbital" lines that bypass the Loop, weβre looking at how Chicago is speeding up the least glamorous but critical piece of its transit system. Because at the end of the day, faster buses donβt just mean shorter commutesβthey mean freedom.
Why the bus (not the βLβ) is the true backbone for many Chicagoans.The "Smart Streets" pilot and the end of bus lane blocking.How the new Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA) is changing the game.Paceβs suburban BRT (Pulse) expansion and orbital routes.Why $1 invested in transit equals $4 in economic benefits.Take Action: If you want to see faster, more reliable transit in the Midwest, please subscribe!
For folks in Chicago, consider joining:
Active Transportation Alliance: https://activetrans.org/Commuters Take Action (CTAction): https://www.ctaction.org/