Span led the strategy and design behind the Regional Transit Authority’s visionary Transforming Transit plan — a proposal to invest $1.5 billion annually in the Chicago region’s transit system operations in order to increase service frequency and lower wait times nearly 50%. The final printed piece was distributed to key stakeholders, the press, and to attendees at a presentation by board chairman Kirk Dillard at the Chicago City Club.

The future of transit in Chicago hangs in the balance as our region faces a ”fiscal cliff” of a multimillion dollar budget gap thanks to decades of underfunding. RTA’s proposal to State and local lawmakers is to ”double down,” dramatically yet realistically increasing the annual investment to $1.5 billion annually. This would transform transit operations in our region, bringing a level of connectivity throughout city and suburbs that has never existed before. The RTA is also proposing a stronger, more centralized role for the agency that would give greater oversight over the three transit operators — setting fares, coordinating rider information, and centralizing administration services amongst other reforms.

Led by John Pobojewski, Span designed the plan’s layout including creating 3D visualizations and app interfaces that feature the benefits of RTA’s centralized approach. Digital signage illustrates how easy it will be to catch multimodal transfers between buses, trains, and amongst regional and city operators. New centralized app interfaces showcase up-to-the-minute arrival and delay information, and a new proposed voucher system.