Illinois lawmakers rethink free-rides perk for seniors

CHICAGO -- The days of free bus and train rides for most Illinois seniors could be numbered.

Heeding complaints of transit agencies who say the freebies are adding to their financial woes by sucking away revenue, the Illinois House this week overwhelmingly approved legislation that would withdraw that two-year-old perk from tens of thousands of better-off seniors.

If the bill is approved by the state Senate, then signed into law by Gov. Pat Quinn, free rides would continue for senior citizens 65 and older whose annual income is under around $27,600, or $36,600 for a two-person household.

The bill isn't certain to become law, however.

Some lawmakers in the Senate say they will oppose, complaining Thursday that the salary thresholds are way too low and will mean snatching benefits away from many seniors already scrambling to make ends meet.

"It'll pass the Senate over my dead body," said state Sen. Rickey Hendon, a Chicago Democrat. "I'll fight it with everything I've got."

This is an election year, so there are heightened political sensitivities about ending benefits to any would-be voters. Quinn, who won the Democratic gubernatorial primary this month, hasn't said whether he will sign the legislation if it does get to his desk.

"We won't be issuing a comment at this time," Quinn spokeswoman Annie Thompson said Thursday when asked about his position on the bill.

The changes wouldn't cancel all existing benefits for higher-income residents. Even those who would have to pay something would only have to pay half-price fares, which was the same discount seniors received before the all-encompassing free-ride program.

The Regional Transportation Authority that oversees the nation's second largest transit system says ending the free-rides program could generate a much needed $37 million for Chicago agencies, which include Metra trains, and Chicago Transit Authority buses and El trains.

"It's not going to solve their problems, but it helps," said state Rep. Suzanne Bassi, a Palatine Republican who supported the legislation.

The Chicago metropolitan area accounts for most beneficiaries. The RTA estimates more than 400,000 seniors qualify for free rides, with an estimated around 120,000 of those, or around 30 percent, maintaining that privilege if the pending legislation becomes law.

In 2008, then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich insisted on the free-rides in exchange for signing a sales tax increase to bail out transit agencies. Critics said legislative largesse created a situation where younger taxpayers, in some cases, were subsidizing better-off residents.