The CTA calculates ridership by counting the customers who board a transit vehicle (bus or rail).
The U. of Chicago/Hyde Park route saw the largest increase in ridership with a 165.6 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.
While ridership hasn't returned to pre-pandemic levels, CTA's president Dorval R. Cart Jr. said weekday ridership has doubled since the initial shutdown and continues to increase.
Rank | Route | Ridership increase from 2021 to 2022 (%) |
---|---|---|
1 | U. of Chicago/Hyde Park | 165.6 |
2 | Clarendon/LaSalle Express | 116.9 |
3 | Bronzeville/Union Station | 113.3 |
4 | U. of Chicago/Kenwood | 107 |
5 | Stockton/LaSalle Express | 88.8 |
6 | Sheridan/LaSalle Express | 77.1 |
7 | Sedgwick | 76 |
8 | 69th-UPS Express | 73 |
9 | Jeffery Manor Express | 59.3 |
10 | West 65th | 57.4 |
11 | LaSalle | 57.3 |
12 | Western Express | 48.5 |
13 | East 103rd | 46.7 |
14 | Streeterville/Taylor | 45.1 |
14 | U. of Chicago Hospitals Express | 45.1 |
16 | South Damen | 42.4 |
17 | Narragansett/Ridgeland | 41.9 |
18 | Clarendon/Michigan Express | 40.6 |
19 | Harrison | 39.9 |
19 | Wallace-Racine | 39.9 |
21 | 31st | 38.8 |
22 | California/Dodge | 35.8 |
23 | Ashland Express | 34.1 |
24 | Northwest Highway | 33.6 |
25 | Archer/Harlem | 33 |
26 | Montrose | 32.2 |
27 | 59th/61st | 32 |
28 | Hyde Park Express | 31.3 |
29 | Central/Ridge | 30.1 |
30 | Inner Lake Shore/Michigan Expr | 27.9 |
31 | Ogilvie/Streeterville Express | 27.6 |
32 | Pershing | 26.9 |
33 | West 63rd | 26.7 |
34 | North Central | 26.3 |
35 | Wentworth | 26 |
35 | Central | 26 |
37 | West Lawrence | 24.4 |
38 | Laramie | 24.2 |
39 | Madison | 23.9 |
39 | 51st | 23.9 |
41 | Lincoln | 23.5 |
42 | Foster | 23.4 |
43 | Higgins | 22.5 |
44 | Outer DuSable Lake Shore Expr | 22.3 |
45 | South Cicero | 22 |
45 | Damen | 22 |
47 | Navy Pier | 21.4 |
48 | Halsted/95th | 21.3 |
49 | Peterson | 21.2 |
50 | Blue Island/26th | 20.6 |
50 | Jackson | 20.6 |
52 | North Western | 20.5 |
53 | Sheridan | 20.4 |
54 | Devon | 20.3 |
55 | Division | 19.9 |
56 | South Pulaski | 19.8 |
57 | Harlem | 19.6 |
58 | 74th-75th | 19.4 |
59 | Jeffery Jump | 19.3 |
60 | Kedzie | 19.1 |
61 | South Shore Express | 19 |
61 | Archer | 19 |
63 | Fullerton | 18.3 |
64 | California | 18.2 |
65 | Austin | 17.4 |
66 | Pulaski | 16.8 |
67 | Cicero | 16.6 |
68 | South Halsted | 16.5 |
68 | North Cicero/Skokie Blvd. | 16.5 |
70 | Pullman/115th | 16 |
70 | North | 16 |
70 | Addison | 16 |
73 | 87th | 15.4 |
74 | Skokie | 15.1 |
75 | West 103rd | 14.5 |
76 | Lunt | 14.3 |
77 | Broadway | 13.5 |
78 | Vincennes/111th | 13.3 |
79 | Halsted | 13 |
79 | Western | 13 |
79 | Diversey | 13 |
82 | Armitage | 12 |
82 | Roosevelt | 12 |
82 | 111th/King Drive | 12 |
85 | 47th | 11 |
85 | Grand | 11 |
85 | Cermak | 11 |
88 | Lawrence | 10.4 |
89 | Clark | 10 |
89 | Chicago | 10 |
89 | Michigan/119th | 10 |
89 | Belmont | 10 |
93 | South Kedzie | 8.9 |
94 | King Drive | 8.8 |
95 | Kimball-Homan | 8.4 |
96 | 63rd | 8 |
96 | 79th | 8 |
96 | Water Tower Express | 8 |
96 | 43rd | 8 |
96 | 31st/35th | 8 |
96 | Pullman Shuttle | 8 |
102 | Irving Park | 7.4 |
103 | 16th/18th | 6.3 |
103 | South Michigan | 6.3 |
105 | 67th-69th-71st | 6.1 |
106 | 55th/Narragansett | 5.3 |
107 | Jeffery Local | 5 |
107 | Ashland | 5 |
107 | 55th/Austin | 5 |
110 | Milwaukee | 4.3 |
111 | Stockton/Michigan Express | 4.1 |
112 | Union/Streeterville Express | 3.9 |
113 | 95th | 3.4 |
114 | Jackson Park Express | 2.2 |
115 | Garfield | 1.8 |
116 | South Chicago | 1.6 |
117 | Evanston Circulator | 1.5 |
118 | State | 0.9 |
119 | Stony Island | 0.1 |