Last month, Bethany MaGee was set on fire while riding a CTA train. A man was stabbed and robbed on Thanksgiving Day on a CTA train. Violence on the CTA this year reached its second-highest level since 2015, with 2,893 crimes reported in the 12 months ending in July. Respondents to the Regional Transportation Authority’s 2025 Customer Satisfaction Survey cited cleanliness and onboard personal security as areas needing the most improvement on the CTA.
Mayor Brandon Johnson and Gov. JB Pritzker, how many more commuters and CTA personnel must be killed, victimized or traumatized on public transit before you take more action to make the system safe?
A vibrant and safe transit system reduces the number of cars on the road, which lowers the amount of harmful vehicle emissions. Enhanced transportation networks attract investment and economic growth by improving connectivity between communities. Our city and region cannot thrive without a safe, clean, reliable and affordable public transit system. The CTA can no longer be the solution for the unhoused and those suffering from mental illness.
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As Johnson and aldermen work to finalize the 2026 budget, safety and efficiency at the CTA must be a top priority. MaGee’s tragedy is a reminder to elected leaders that residents are not safe riding the CTA. An increase in law enforcement presence on trains, buses and platforms would be welcomed, along with the strengthening of mental health and housing resources.
The mayor’s proposed 2026 budget, which was voted down in committee, relied on a business head tax to pay for public safety initiatives. Johnson’s team recently rejected an alternative proposal by aldermen that would go after over $1 billion in uncollected debt. That plan suggests money savings in fleet management, procurement and health insurance for city employees.
The responsibility for protecting commuters on the CTA lies with Johnson, Pritzker, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, Illinois lawmakers and the transit authority. Elected leaders must be held accountable.
The Chicago Police Department has dedicated around 170 police officers to cover 146 stations and 1,966 buses that operate 127 routes over 1,516 route miles. In contrast, Johnson reportedly has over 100 members of CPD as part of his security detail. The mayor and his family are adequately protected, but the citizens riding public transit are not. The Dallas Area Rapid Transit Police Department has a dedicated team of 429 personnel responsible for a 700-square-mile area.
How can CPD officers respond to incidents on trains and buses when the force is inadequately staffed? It is estimated the city needs to add more than 1,000 officers to be at full strength. Also, police officers are not responding to 911 priority calls in a reasonable time. The CTA’s 33,000 cameras in vehicles and stations do help identify perpetrators of crime, but that is after the fact.
Johnson is seeking additional money from Springfield for safety enhancements to the CTA, mental health and housing. If Johnson spoke to President Donald Trump, perhaps he would help with transit safety. He has an interest in seeing Chicago succeed.
New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani met with Trump, and they seemed to agree that the success of the city is in their mutual interests. The bottom line is not talking to Trump may be good for Johnson’s ego, but it hurts Chicago residents.
The Trump administration has federal resources that could be used to ensure commuters are safe on trains and buses. Those resources range from the use of Department of Justice agencies such as the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and other crime-deterring assets. As long as Illinois politicians allow personal feelings for Trump to dictate their actions, the people will suffer.
Springfield lawmakers may have saved our region’s transit agencies with over $1 billion in funding — but unless Johnson makes the CTA safer and there is financial accountability, previous levels of ridership won’t come back. This could have a negative impact on businesses. According to the inspector general, the CTA completed 456 million rides in 2019 with a budget of $1.55 billion. By 2024, that budget soared to $1.99 billion, but the transit agency gave only 309.2 million rides.
Pritzker and state lawmakers led the effort to replace the Regional Transportation Authority with a new Northern Illinois Transit Authority, giving state, city and county leaders shared responsibility for overseeing the CTA, Metra and Pace. The appointees to NITA must be qualified individuals with transportation expertise.
The following are suggestions to make the CTA safe:
- Johnson must bring back the CTA police force. The dedicated police force should be between 400 to 500 officers.
- Pritzker and Johnson should meet with Trump and advocate for additional transit resources for safety, housing and mental health.
- Johnson should right-size the CTA workforce. The CTA has too many administrators and not enough front-line staff.
- The U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois should charge all violent crimes, including those committed with guns on the CTA.
- Pritzker, Johnson and Preckwinkle must ensure financial accountability for the CTA.
- Johnson should place conductors on every CTA train.
- Pritzker, Johnson, Preckwinkle, Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch and Senate President Don Harmon should ride the CTA for at least one week to experience what riders go through.
We have an opportunity with the investment from Springfield to reimagine what safety looks like on public transportation. The responsibility for safety begins with elected leaders and filters down. Visible patrols would reassure commuters and serve as a deterrent to would-be criminals. It is long overdue to make public transit safe.
I write this commentary to make those comfortable with allowing violence to rage on public transportation uncomfortable.
Willie Wilson is a business owner, philanthropist and former mayoral candidate.
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