Pandemic drop in drivers, riders cost Illinois and transit agencies more than $1 billion in lost revenue, study shows – Chicago Tribune*

The RTA is not projecting major budget gaps for any of the three agencies this year, in part because of $486.2 million it received under the federal Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act approved in December, said Jeremy LaMarche, the RTA’s director of governmental affairs. Sales tax receipts also came in higher than initial pandemic projections. But 2022 and 2023 look more dire.