The CTA has been given this grant to help the agency to recover from the effects of the pandemic. 

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP) includes $30.5 billion in federal funding to support the nation’s public transportation systems as they continue to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

CTA has nearly 10,600 workers and oversaw about 200 million trips in 2020. The funding will help cover CTA employee salaries so they can continue to provide services to the nearly 8.6 million residents.

“Public transportation has connected communities and helped people reach their jobs, hospitals, grocery stores, and more throughout this pandemic,” said the U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “This funding from President Biden’s American Rescue Plan will help keep transit service running, protect transit employees from layoffs, and ensure people can get where they need to go.”

The grant is part of more than $30 billion for public transportation in the ARP. 

The new funding to the CTA was a part of a total $26.6 billion allocated from statutory formulas to urban and rural areas, tribal governments, and for the increased mobility of seniors and individuals with disabilities.

“As our nation’s transit systems recover from COVID-19, the American Rescue Plan funds ensure they continue to provide service to the many Americans who depend on transit,” Federal Transit Administration Administrator Nuria Fernandez said.