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Chicago office occupancy was about 50% of pre-COVID-19 levels during the last week of May, according to data from Kastle Systems. Even on the busiest days in the middle of the week, that means fewer people downtown, and fewer potential riders for the water taxi. The company also eyes Metra ridership, and has a water taxi stop between the Metra hubs at the Ogilvie Transportation Center and Chicago Union Station. In April, the most recent month for which data is available, average weekday Metra ridership was about 48% of 2019 levels.
Summary and audio linked here.
Chicago’s political leadership is floating a pension buyout program as evidence it is seriously addressing the city’s thirty-six-billion-dollar unfunded pension liability, but Mark Glennon, founder of the Illinois policy research organization Wirepoints, said that the proposal moves debt from one column to another rather than reducing it, and that the broader fiscal picture facing the city continues to deteriorate across every measurable dimension. Audio here.
Expect no retraction or apology. This what they do.
The state’s existing buyout program for its own pensions is the precedent for Chicago, which should be a warning: Look out for similar exaggerated claims and shoddy analysis.
Full interview and summary linked here.
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The Chicago River Taxi is a wonderful and unique Chicago service. It should be given the same consideration for funding that all other public transportation providers receive. It serves commuter, tourists and architectural travelers. And keeps extra cabs and buses off the streets. Let’s not let it disappear.