Garfield ridership increased by 32.2 percent during September 2021 compared to the previous year, according to the Chicago Transportation Authority.
The CTA calculates ridership by counting the customers who board a transit vehicle (bus or rail).
The U. of Chicago/Kenwood route saw the largest increase in ridership with a 347.6 percent rise.
Bus and train traffic took a serious hit during the pandemic. The Metra, which provides service to many of Chicago’s suburbs, saw a 97% decrease in ridership according to the Active Transportation Alliance. According to the Federal Transit Authority, Chicago’s public transportation sector received $1.43 billion in bailout funds from the CARES act to combat the decrease in ridership.
However, the CTA claimed ridership had rebounded 56 percent in the first six months of 2021. CTA’s president Dorval R. Cart Jr. said weekday ridership has doubled since the initial shutdown.
| Rank | Route | Ridership increase from 2020 to 2021 (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | U. of Chicago/Kenwood | 347.6 |
| 2 | Evanston Circulator | 342.5 |
| 3 | Navy Pier | 324.1 |
| 4 | Stockton/LaSalle Express | 239.3 |
| 5 | Ogilvie/Streeterville Express | 208.7 |
| 6 | Water Tower Express | 208.4 |
| 7 | West 65th | 176.1 |
| 8 | Streeterville/Taylor | 175.9 |
| 9 | Union/Streeterville Express | 158.6 |
| 10 | Bronzeville/Union Station | 143.8 |
| 11 | Narragansett/Ridgeland | 141.8 |
| 12 | LaSalle | 141.1 |
| 13 | Hyde Park Express | 138.3 |
| 14 | Sedgwick | 136.6 |
| 15 | Stockton/Michigan Express | 132.7 |
| 16 | Addison | 128.4 |
| 17 | U. of Chicago Hospitals Express | 126.1 |
| 18 | U. of Chicago/Hyde Park | 122.6 |
| 19 | Clarendon/LaSalle Express | 98.2 |
| 20 | Harrison | 97.1 |
| 20 | South Damen | 97.1 |
| 22 | Damen | 96.1 |
| 23 | Clarendon/Michigan Express | 91.8 |
| 24 | Blue Island/26th | 90.2 |
| 25 | Sheridan/LaSalle Express | 87.2 |
| 26 | 55th/Austin | 79.2 |
| 27 | Inner Drive/Michigan Express | 77.9 |
| 28 | 31st | 75.3 |
| 29 | Western Express | 71.8 |
| 30 | Central/Ridge | 71.6 |
| 31 | Grand | 70.3 |
| 32 | Northwest Highway | 70.1 |
| 33 | Sheridan | 69.3 |
| 34 | Ashland Express | 67.9 |
| 35 | Peterson | 67.1 |
| 36 | South Pulaski | 66.9 |
| 37 | Wentworth | 65.8 |
| 38 | East 103rd | 65.5 |
| 39 | Montrose | 65.4 |
| 40 | Kimball-Homan | 64.2 |
| 41 | Chicago | 63.3 |
| 42 | Armitage | 63.2 |
| 43 | Archer/Harlem | 63.1 |
| 44 | Archer | 62.2 |
| 45 | Halsted | 61.5 |
| 46 | California/Dodge | 59.7 |
| 47 | 55th/Narragansett | 59.4 |
| 48 | Fullerton | 56.5 |
| 49 | Outer Drive Express | 56.4 |
| 50 | 31st/35th | 56.2 |
| 50 | Higgins | 56.2 |
| 52 | Foster | 56.1 |
| 53 | Jackson | 55.9 |
| 54 | Irving Park | 52.7 |
| 55 | Clark | 51.1 |
| 56 | Belmont | 50.6 |
| 57 | Lunt | 49.5 |
| 58 | 16th/18th | 49 |
| 58 | Broadway | 49 |
| 60 | Diversey | 47.8 |
| 61 | Milwaukee | 45.2 |
| 62 | West 63rd | 44.7 |
| 63 | California | 43.6 |
| 64 | 51st | 43.4 |
| 65 | Jackson Park Express | 42.7 |
| 66 | North | 42.6 |
| 67 | Vincennes/111th | 42.3 |
| 68 | Division | 40.7 |
| 69 | Lincoln | 39.8 |
| 70 | North Cicero/Skokie Blvd. | 39.2 |
| 71 | Pershing | 39 |
| 72 | King Drive | 36.4 |
| 73 | North Western | 35.3 |
| 74 | Jeffery Manor Express | 35.2 |
| 75 | Central | 35 |
| 75 | Kedzie | 35 |
| 77 | Devon | 33.8 |
| 78 | State | 33.1 |
| 79 | Harlem | 33 |
| 79 | South Shore Express | 33 |
| 81 | South Kedzie | 32.3 |
| 82 | Garfield | 32.2 |
| 82 | Austin | 32.2 |
| 84 | Cermak | 31.5 |
| 85 | Lawrence | 31.1 |
| 86 | Wallace-Racine | 31 |
| 87 | Skokie | 29.7 |
| 88 | Pullman/115th | 29.4 |
| 89 | Roosevelt | 29 |
| 89 | South Chicago | 29 |
| 89 | Laramie | 29 |
| 92 | 47th | 28.4 |
| 93 | North Central | 28.1 |
| 94 | Pulaski | 27.2 |
| 95 | Jeffery Local | 26.9 |
| 96 | Western | 26.6 |
| 96 | 59th/61st | 26.6 |
| 98 | West Lawrence | 26.1 |
| 99 | Ashland | 24.9 |
| 100 | Cottage Grove | 24.2 |
| 101 | Jeffery Jump | 22 |
| 102 | West 103rd | 20.6 |
| 103 | 63rd | 18.7 |
| 104 | 74th-75th | 17.8 |
| 105 | 87th | 17.3 |
| 106 | Madison | 16.4 |
| 107 | Halsted/95th | 15.6 |
| 108 | South Shore Night Bus | 15.3 |
| 109 | Cicero | 14 |
| 109 | 111th/King Drive | 14 |
| 111 | South Halsted | 13 |
| 112 | 67th-69th-71st | 12.4 |
| 113 | 71st/South Shore | 10.1 |
| 113 | 79th | 10.1 |
| 115 | Stony Island | 9.4 |
| 116 | 43rd | 9.3 |
| 117 | South Cicero | 8.9 |
| 118 | 95th | 8.7 |
| 119 | South Michigan | 2.9 |
