Where the money goes
Operating spending for the three service boards — audited actuals against the RTA's adopted budget and forward plan, plus how efficiently each fare dollar and subsidy dollar turns into rides. Every figure shows its source and as-of date.
Farebox recovery, latest audited year (FY2024)
Source: Audited operating expense — FTA National Transit Database — farebox recovery = fare revenue ÷ audited operating expense (NTD-internal ratio) · as of FY2024 (latest published)
Operating budget vs. actual, by service board
Actual = audited operating expense (FTA National Transit Database). RTA budget / plan = the RTA's adopted figure for each year, labeled by its true nature (actual, estimate, adopted budget, or forward plan). The two series come from different sources defined slightly differently, so they are shown side by side, never merged — for CTA and Metra they track within ~2%; Pace's gap is larger because its figure folds in Regional ADA Paratransit. The 2026–2027 plan years show the projected fiscal-cliff trajectory.
Source: Audited operating expense — FTA National Transit Database · as of FY2024 (latest published)
Source: RTA Adopted 2025 Operating Budget, Table 2 (in thousands) · as of Adopted Dec 2024; accessed 2026-06-27
Budget & actual data (table)
| Fiscal year | Actual operating expense (audited) | RTA budget / plan | Farebox recovery |
|---|---|---|---|
| CTA | |||
| 2022 | $1.40B | — | 21.0% |
| 2023 | $1.70B | $1.71B(actual) | 19.6% |
| 2024 | $1.92B | $1.92B(estimate) | 18.5% |
| 2025 | — | $2.16B(adopted budget) | — |
| 2026 | — | $2.23B(plan) | — |
| 2027 | — | $2.31B(plan) | — |
| Metra | |||
| 2022 | $823M | — | 15.4% |
| 2023 | $897M | $912M(actual) | 16.6% |
| 2024 | $989M | $1.00B(estimate) | 16.6% |
| 2025 | — | $1.14B(adopted budget) | — |
| 2026 | — | $1.17B(plan) | — |
| 2027 | — | $1.15B(plan) | — |
| Pace | |||
| 2022 | $418M | — | 6.4% |
| 2023 | $467M | $505M(actual) | 6.2% |
| 2024 | $487M | $561M(estimate) | 6.2% |
| 2025 | — | $621M(adopted budget) | — |
| 2026 | — | $745M(plan) | — |
| 2027 | — | $782M(plan) | — |
Pace includes Regional ADA Paratransit, which Pace operates. Farebox recovery = fare revenue ÷ audited operating expense (FTA NTD).
Efficiency trends: what a fare dollar and a subsidy dollar buy
Source: Audited operating expense — FTA National Transit Database — all three ratios derive from NTD fare revenue, operating expense, and unlinked trips · as of FY2024 (latest published)
Efficiency data (table)
| Fiscal year | Farebox recovery | Subsidy per rider | Cost per rider |
|---|---|---|---|
| CTA | |||
| 2022 | 21.0% | — | — |
| 2023 | 19.6% | — | — |
| 2024 | 18.5% | — | — |
| Metra | |||
| 2022 | 15.4% | — | — |
| 2023 | 16.6% | — | — |
| 2024 | 16.6% | — | — |
| Pace | |||
| 2022 | 6.4% | — | — |
| 2023 | 6.2% | — | — |
| 2024 | 6.2% | — | — |
Subsidy per rider = (operating expense − fare revenue) ÷ unlinked passenger trips. Cost per rider = operating expense ÷ unlinked trips. Pace includes Regional ADA Paratransit. Source: FTA National Transit Database.