South Cook News

Outer Drive Express ridership decreased by 60.5 percent during December 2020 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 route that saw the largest decrease in ridership was Stockton/LaSalle Express with a 95.7 percent drop.

Bus transit experienced a 59.9 percent decline in ridership overall during the month. Train ridership across the city during the same month saw a decrease of 77 percent year over year. The train station that saw the largest decrease was the Merchandise Mart station with a decrease of 90.5 percent.

So far, the CTA has made no service cuts, even with the decrease in ridership. The Metra, which provides service to many of Chicago’s suburbs, has seen a 97 percent 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.

Rank	Route	Ridership decline year over year (%)
1	Stockton/LaSalle Express	95.7
2	Clarendon/LaSalle Express	93.7
3	Ogilvie/Streeterville Express	93.5
4	Union/Streeterville Express	93.4
5	Water Tower Express	90.4
6	Sedgwick	89.7
6	LaSalle	89.7
8	Navy Pier	88.2
9	Bronzeville/Union Station	87.5
9	Stockton/Michigan Express	87.5
11	Sheridan/LaSalle Express	86.8
12	Evanston Circulator	86.6
13	Hyde Park Express	85.2
14	U. of Chicago/Hyde Park	82.5
15	U. of Chicago/Kenwood	82
16	Clarendon/Michigan Express	80.3
17	Streeterville/Taylor	79.9
18	55th/Austin	77.6
19	U. of Chicago Hospitals Express	74.8
20	Narragansett/Ridgeland	72.9
21	Grand	72.3
22	Harrison	72
23	South Dam en	70.1
24	Western Express	70
24	Central/Ridge	70
24	Wentworth	70
27	Addison	69.4
28	Inner Drive/Michigan Express	68.3
29	31st	68.1
30	Kedzie	67.7
31	Halsted	67.5
32	Damen	67.4
33	Armitage	67.3
34	Blue Island/26th	67
35	Sheridan	66.3
36	State	66.1
37	Archer	65.7
38	Chicago	65
38	Jackson	65
38	Ashland Express	65
38	31st/35th	65
42	Montrose	64.2
43	Clark	63.1
44	Jackson Park Express	63
44	Milwaukee	63
46	Jeffery Jump	62.3
47	North Cicero/Skokie Blvd.	62.1
48	Vincennes/111th	61.9
49	16th/18th	61.5
50	55th/Narragansett	61.3
51	Belmont	61.2
52	Pullman/115th	61.1
53	Madison	61
53	East 103rd	61
53	Pershing	61
53	Wallace-Racine	61
53	Fullerton	61
53	Outer Drive Express	61
59	South Pulaski	60.2
60	Lunt	59.8
61	Garfield	59.6
62	Laramie	59.5
62	Division	59.5
64	Halsted/95th	59.2
65	Kimball-Homan	59.1
66	South Shore Night Bus	58.9
67	Peterson	58.8
68	North	58.4
69	South Shore Express	58.2
69	Diversey	58.2
71	King Drive	58.1
72	59th/61st	57.8
73	California/Dodge	57.6
74	51st	57
74	Lincoln	57
74	Northwest Highway	57
74	Roosevelt	57
74	Irving Park	57
74	111th/King Drive	57
80	Jeffery Manor Express	56.4
81	Broadway	56.3
82	Higgins	56.2
82	West 103rd	56.2
84	North Western	56.1
85	South Chicago	56
85	Western	56
85	74th-75th	56
85	West 65th	56
89	West 63rd	55.4
90	Stony Island	55.3
91	South Kedzie	55.2
91	67th-69th-71st	55.2
93	South Michigan	55
93	Foster	55
93	West Lawrence	55
93	63rd	55
93	87th	55
98	Devon	53.9
99	Jeffery Local	53.8
100	Pulaski	53.7
101	Cermak	53.6
102	Cottage Grove	53.2
103	Skokie	53.1
104	79th	52.6
105	Archer/Harlem	52.2
106	Michigan/119th	51.2
107	Ashland	51
107	Cicero	51
107	Lawrence	51
107	43rd	51
111	Central	49.9
112	47th	49.4
113	South Cicero	49
113	71st/South Shore	49
115	95th	47.6
116	South Halsted	47.3
116	Austin	47.3
118	Harlem	46.2
119	California	46
120	Pullman Shuttle	35.8
121	North Central	33.6
122	69th-UPS Express	0.2