When Chicago Bus Drivers Run Light,Taxpayers Pay:Under new policy, taxpayers are on the hook for fines at photo-enforced intersections

The Chicago Tribune reports:

Traffic-enforcement cameras are catching hundreds of buses running red lights in Chicago and the suburbs, and taxpayers are paying most of the tickets.

Chicago Transit Authority buses were photographed blowing through red traffic signals almost 1,200 times last year, while the drivers of Pace buses, paratransit vehicles and van pools racked up more than 100 red-light-running citations in 2008, according to the agencies.

It's enough to make bus riders grab for the nearest hanging strap and for taxpayers as well as transit customers—who are paying higher fares this year—to see red.

Under a new CTA policy, the agency is paying the $100 fine for each red-light violation instead of requiring bus drivers who broke the law to hand over the cash.

The change was made in part because of pressure from the bus drivers union in response to the proliferation of red-light cameras across the city, officials said.

Special people.