Chicago City Wire

President Donald Trump and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy have demanded Chicago’s CTA fix its crime-ridden transit system or face losing vital federal dollars, citing a shocking pattern of lawlessness jeopardizing rider safety.

Citing a “pattern of lawlessness” and ongoing safety failures, Duffy has given the CTA 14 days to submit a comprehensive safety report. 

The mandate requires the CTA to outline specific steps it is taking to deter crime, stop fare evasion and maintain clean transit conditions. "President Trump cares about our great cities and the hardworking Americans who inhabit them," U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy  said in a press relase. "While local leaders seem intent on putting the needs of criminals first, we're not waiting for the next Iryna.” 

A Chicago Transit Authority elevated train travels through the city, part of a system facing increasing safety concerns amid rising crime rates. | Wikimedia Commons / Tripp

Duffy’s comments came after the slaying of Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee who was fatally stabbed in what many are calling a "racially motivated" attack on a light rail train in Charlotte, N.C., in late August. 

“Chicago and Boston are on notice to take actions that enhance safety and reduce the crime affecting their riders and transit workers - or risk federal support,” Duffy said. “This is about standing up for American families who deserve a safe and clean transportation system."

The agency must also disclose all safety-related funding sources for fiscal years 2025 and 2026, including any support from the Department of Homeland Security. The Department of Transportation has issued a similar directive to Boston’s MBTA, pointing to both cities’ struggles with crime and progressive bail reforms that the administration says enable repeat offenders.

Chicago’s CTA provides approximately one million daily rides on an average weekday, with about 181.7 million bus rides and 127.5 million rail rides in 2024. It operates a fleet of approximately 1,966 buses on 127 routes and 1,564 rail cars serving 146 stations on eight routes. 

"Our transit systems are the circulatory system of our communities,” Federal Transit Administrator Mare Molinaro said in the press release. “That's why our focus is on a safe, clean transit experience for everyone using public transportation --whether you're a worker helping people get where they need to go, a commuter relying on transit to get to work, or a parent helping your children get to and from school or other important appointments. We're making transit safe again.” 

In December 2024, Illinois Policy reported that Chicago experiences one crime approximately every three hours on the CTA, totaling 1,356 reported incidents over a 12-month period. 

Battery remains the most common offense, followed by fraud, counterfeiting and narcotics-related crimes. With ridership still 40% below pre-pandemic levels, public confidence in the CTA continues to erode. Only 45% of reported crimes result in arrests, and current private security contractors are not authorized to intervene during active incidents. Illinois Policy has recommended replacing them with sworn police officers at every station. 

Meanwhile, transit workers are sounding the alarm. Pennie McCoach, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 30, has called for the reestablishment of a dedicated transit police force, something Chicago has not had since 1979.

"I'm angry. I'm really angry right now," McCoach told CBS Chicago. "It's a continuing cycle that this is happening to my members, and it's upsetting."  McCoach said the CTA has not lived up to the public safety standards expected of it.

"The workers don't feel safe. They don't feel confident that the company has their best interest in hand when it comes to protection," McCoach said. "I can't advocate much harder for some type of transit police."

Pressure on the CTA has intensified following a recent string of violent incidents since Duffy’s warning. In just the past five days, new violent acts and charges related to earlier incidents have heightened safety concerns across Chicago's transit system.

On the Yellow Line, a man was charged after attempting to sexually assault a female rider, who was able to fight him off and escape.

In a separate downtown incident, a man was charged with attempted murder after pushing a CTA rider onto the train tracks at the CTA Green Line train station. 

On the Blue Line, a 21-year-old woman was stabbed multiple times during a confrontation with several male passengers. 

In the West Loop, police announced they are actively searching for four individuals involved in the armed robbery of a CTA rider. 

Another robbery occurred on a CTA bus near Madison Street, where two suspects allegedly targeted a passenger. 

On the Near West Side, a man assaulted and beat two passengers during a dispute on a CTA bus and remains at large. 

The Red Line also saw violence, with two men charged for robbing, beating and cutting a passenger. 

In Jefferson Park, a CTA bus crashed into a home after being struck by a hit-and-run driver who ran a stop sign.