As President Donald Trump’s appointed transit chief, I have deep concerns over the escalating violence in and around Chicago’s transit system.

Commuters and transit workers are being beaten, robbed and even shot while using public transportation. Recent attacks speak for themselves: In April, seven people ganged up on a single victim, cutting him and stealing his property on the Red Line. In March, a man was shot boarding a CTA bus. And a teen was arrested in three robbery incidents on the Red Line. These are not isolated events but evidence that lawlessness is taking hold of Chicago’s public transportation system to the point in which federal intervention may be needed.

No Chicago rider or transit worker should begin their trip wondering whether they will make it home safely. Fear is now the daily reality for too many. 

That recently was the case for the nation’s capital as well. Since President Donald Trump sent in the National Guard just over a month ago, homicides are down 53% from last year, and violent crime is down 40%. Washingtonians are breathing a little easier.

There are other options on the table, of course, if Chicago’s leadership can answer the call and move to enforce law and order on their streets and on their transit systems. That includes tackling fare evasion, which removes desperately needed revenue from the CTA’s operations.  

It’s not only about the money. Each time a rider jumps over or crashes through a fare gate or steps on a bus without paying, it erodes the public’s trust in the system, discourages responsible riders and normalizes disorder. The fare jumper vaulting the turnstile, the dealer brazenly working a platform, the violent fight that spills into a train car — these aren’t isolated annoyances. They’re signals of a system abandoned by its leaders.

New York City’s former police commissioner, William Bratton, said it best: “Not all fare beaters were criminals, but most criminals were fare beaters.” He understood that transit disorder invites bigger trouble. Chicago’s leaders have refused to grasp that truth — and commuters are paying the price.

The facts are grim: In the first half of this year, over 2,200 crimes were reported on the CTA, including 642 batteries, 238 assaults, 259 robberies and 29 sex offenses. Last year’s Blue Line shooting left four dead, and violent crimes per passenger trip have more than tripled since 2015. According to police reports, riders now face a crime every three hours somewhere in the system.

And while danger multiplies, fare enforcement has collapsed. Over three years, there were just 43 arrests for fare evasion on Metra. That number isn’t a strategy — it’s surrender. A city that shrugs at the most basic rule, “pay your fare,” shouldn’t be surprised when predators conclude there are no rules at all.

The mayor and his allies call enforcement excessive or unfair. What’s truly unfair is forcing families, seniors and workers to ride trains where lawlessness is the norm. What’s excessive is the fear and chaos that spread when leadership refuses to back police in upholding basic order.

Recently, the Federal Transit Administration, under the direction of Secretary Sean Duffy, launched an investigation into the CTA to review the transit agency’s security spending, safety plans and ongoing risks to operators and customers being assaulted on the system.

This isn’t about criminalizing poverty. It’s about accountability and working to protect the public from the spiral of disorder. It’s a simple truth Chicago’s leadership ignores: Small crimes left unchecked invite larger ones.

The CTA has become a rolling symbol of abdication. Riders don’t feel safe. Police don’t feel supported. And the mayor would rather spin headlines than enforce laws. That is not leadership — it’s negligence to an unacceptable degree that has captured this administration’s attention.

Marc Molinaro is the administrator of the Federal Transit Administration. 

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