The public may not yet be coming out en masse to demand more from Chicago's public transit system, but, if the old saying "actions speak louder than words" holds true, the cash-strapped Chicago Transit Authority -- and the lawmakers who make or break their budget -- ought to brace themselves for increasing calls for better service.

Upwards of 2.7 million more bus and train rides were logged in August alone compared with the same month last year, according to new stats released by the Chicago Transit Authority. With gasoline prices through the roof and parking fees going up, and up, it’s no wonder that more people are jumping on public transit.

It’s added up to some serious savings for Chicagoans.  The city's residents are some of the biggest beneficiaries compared with public transit riders from across the country -- fourth only to Boston, New York and San Francisco, according to a report recently released by the nonprofit American Public Transportation Association. All told, the savings can add up to $978 per person in Chicago each month. That’s $11,738 a year, the transit advocacy group found. The bad news, for CTA officials at least, is that they too are coping with higher fuel prices that they say are breaking the bank.

In the face of another round budget cuts – to the tune of $40 million -- announced by CTA officials today, the same, old question that’s dogged state and local officials surfaced again: How will the system will keep pace?

Only this time even more people are effected.

The transit system is already hanging on by a thread. A $500 million bail out was approved by state legislators earlier this year, thanks to a combination of sales and real estate tax hikes that the public is shouldering. Service cuts were spared. And senior citizens were granted free rides out of the deal, thanks to an amendatory veto maneuver by Gov. Rod Blagojevich who managed to make the deal more palatable to lawmakers, taxpayers and, ultimately, voters.

Ironically, the CTA is now pointing the finger back to the governor, and his freebies, as a major cause for the newest round of cuts that will include staffers, overtime and spending on “non-critical” needs. The outlook has become so bleak, CTA officials say, that, coupled with a projected $32 million hit in state subsidies next year, the system will be $66.5 million deeper in the hole in 2009.

And that’s just the operating side of things.

For five consecutive years, lawmakers have failed to pass a capital plan that would help cover the cost of system maintenance and upgrades to handle the current system -- let alone adding runs and cars to serve a growing ridership. The transit-friendly, public interest group Metropolis 2020 last year put out a study that illustrates how a failure to invest in upgrades to the entire Regional Transportation Authority system costs $2 billion each year merely through congestion-related expenses.

Getting state lawmakers to come to a consensus on funding the upkeep of rapid transit is essential, according to Michael McLaughlin, the Metropolitan Planning Council's transportation policy director.

"We've seen in the past what the tipping point is," he said of the doomsday scenario that led to threats of service cuts and ultimately tax increases earlier this year.

But money isn't the only solution, he cautions. The CTA and planning advocates are also preparing to roll out several other measures -- from creating bus-only lanes, eliminating slow zones, and even upping driving-related fees -- which, coupled with high gas prices, McLaughlin says, will likely win support from a public that's increasingly reluctant to turn back to their cars to get from point A to point B.

"Anytime you have more people riding there's going to be more grassroots support," he said.