70 ILCS 3615/2.01f

(70 ILCS 3615/2.01f)

(This Section may contain text from a Public Act with a delayed effective date)

Sec. 2.01f. Service planning.

(a) Beginning December 2027, the Authority shall develop a regionally coordinated Service Plan that describes all transit service to be provided in the coming year or years. The Authority may plan service for periods of not less than 1 year and not more than 3 years.

(b) To assist in the development of Service Plans, the Authority may issue a request for proposed service plans to all Service Boards. Requests for proposed service plans must indicate the first and last years for which service will be planned and must not cover more than 3 years. Requests for proposed service plans may not be issued to less than all Service Boards.

(c) For years in which the Authority is engaged in Service Planning, it shall commence the process by issuing a request for proposed service plans to all the Service Boards by the preceding December 15. The requests for proposed service plans may include:

(1) a description of service improvements and changes that the Authority desires to carry out its Strategic Plan and to implement its service standards;

(2) a description of the estimates of revenue for the next fiscal year that the Authority has received from the Director of the Governor's Office of Management and Budget;

(3) a directive to the Service Boards to prepare service coverage and service-level scenarios assuming various specified budget allocations for each Service Board;

(4) a description of the degree to which Service Boards may make changes to the programmed location, frequency, days, and hours of service provided by the Service Board as compared to the approved service plan and the circumstances under which the changes shall be permitted;

(5) the opportunity for the Service Boards to propose service improvements along with estimated costs; and

(6) requests for information the Authority deems necessary for the Authority to assess how to most effectively and equitably allocate funds among the Service Boards, including estimates of the resources needed to provide each service-level scenario.

(d) By March 31 following the request for proposed service plans, each Service Board shall present preliminary service proposals in several public hearings conducted by the Authority. A minimum of 3 public hearings shall be held in Cook County, including one in the City of Chicago, and one public hearing shall be held in each of the other counties in the region.

(e) By June 30 following the request for proposed service plans, each Service Board shall submit a proposed service plan in response to the Authority's request, prepared in the format requested by the Authority. Proposed service plans shall outline:

(1) the operating funding assumptions used by the Service Board to determine that the proposed service is feasible, including any estimates of resources that were requested by the Authority;

(2) the location, frequency, days and hours of service, and other details of the service that the Service Board shall provide;

(3) the reasons for any changes made to the location, frequency, days, and hours of service provided by the Service Board from the previous service plan;

(4) the service requirements applicable to the service provided by the Service Board covering issues such as reliability, cleanliness, and safety; and

(5) requirements relating to the Service Board's compliance with Authority fare technology and fare integration efforts, information technology systems, customer communication systems and protocols, branding and advertising efforts, coordination of schedules, and other requirements designed to improve the integration and quality of public transportation in the metropolitan region.

(f) Before voting on any final regionwide Service Plan, the Authority shall hold at least one public hearing on the regionwide Service Plan.

(g) Before voting on any final regionwide Service Plan, the Authority shall hold at least one meeting for consideration of the regionwide Service Plan with the county board of each of the several counties in the metropolitan region in which the Service Board provides service.

(h) The Board shall review the proposed service plans and compile the plans into a revised, regionwide Service Plan. The Board shall only approve the revised, regionwide Service Plan if it meets the service standards set forth in the Strategic Plan as best as possible considering projected available funds. If the Board fails to approve the revised, regionwide Service Plan, then the Board shall notify each Service Board of any deficiencies identified in that Service Board's contributions to the revised, regionwide Service Plan. The Board shall also notify each Service Board if its reasons for changes from the previous approved service plan fail to comply with any guidance provided by the Board in the previous request for service plans as described in paragraph (4) of subsection (e). Service Boards shall not continue to operate service changes that the Board deems to have failed to comply with guidance provided by the Board, unless the service is included in the forthcoming regionwide service plan.

(i) If the Board has not found that the revised, regionwide Service Plan meets the service standards, the Board shall adopt a regionwide Service Plan that does. In all cases, the Board shall adopt a regionwide Service Plan by no later than August 31 following the request for plans.

(Source: P.A. 104-457, eff. 6-1-26.)