Whenever the city council of any city in this state shall pass and there shall become operative and effective an ordinance granting consent, permission and authority for the establishment, maintenance and operation of a comprehensive unified local transportation system, the major portion of which is or is to be located within or the major portion of the service of which is or is to be supplied to the inhabitants of such city, and which system is used or to be used chiefly for the transportation of persons, there shall be created and established a local transit commission as and for the purposes hereinafter provided.
Such local transit commission shall be designated "Transit Commission" preceded by the name of such city.
The term "transit commission" as hereinafter used in this Article means the local transit commission created and established pursuant to the provisions of this Article.
The term "city" as hereinafter used in this Article means any city establishing a local transit commission pursuant to the provisions of this Article.
The term "comprehensive unified local transportation system" as used in this Article means a transportation system comprising all of the street railways and also all of the local railroads the major portions of which are within the city (provided there are such local railroads in such city) and may also comprise public utility motor vehicle lines and/or any other local public utility transportation facilities, the major portions of which are within the city.
The term "local railroads" as herein used means railroads used chiefly for local passenger transportation and does not include a railroad constituting or used as part of a steam trunk line railroad system operated as a common carrier of freight and passengers.
The transit commission shall consist of three members to be appointed by the mayor by and with the advice and consent of the city council of the city, one of which members shall be designated chairman of the commission.
Immediately upon appointment the members of the commission shall respectively take and subscribe to the constitutional oath of office. Each member of the commission shall before entering upon the duties of his office give bond with a surety or sureties approved by the city council of the city in the sum of $25,000.00 conditioned upon the faithful performance of his duties as such member.
Upon the qualification of the members of the commission as herein provided, the commission shall be deemed created and established for all of the purposes of this Article, and the fact of such creation and establishment shall by the Commission be certified to the Governor of the State of Illinois and to the Illinois Commerce Commission.
220 ILCS 5/14-101