23 replies to this topic

[CNJRoss]

WMAQ, Chicago, IL 5/2/22

 

Venting About Ventra: Policy Blocks CTA Riders From Fare Refunds

 

Like most people, Lisa Squires’ work commute changed during the pandemic. But getting a refund of her Ventra card balance proved to be a difficult venture.

 

 

A little-known Chicago Transit Authority refund policy stopped a former Chicago rider in her tracks when she stopped commuting during the pandemic, and she discovered her fare balance was nearly $500.

 

Lisa Squires turned to NBC 5 Responds as a last resort for help after she said she couldn’t understand why a simple refund request was so difficult for the CTA.

 

 

Continue here.   

[KevinKorell]

CBS Chicago,  9/14/23:
 

 

 CTA: Ridership back on track to pre-pandemic levels      

  

CTA leaders said more people in Chicago are taking public transportation.

 

 
Details

[CNJRoss]

CTA news release

 

CTA 2023 Annual Ridership Breaks Post-Pandemic Record

 

January 22, 2024

 

The agency continues to see growing ridership since the pandemic 

 

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) provided 279 million train and bus rides over the course of 2023, a year marked by steady growth in ridership and more-reliable service. The increase was just over 14 percent year over year.

 

Systemwide in 2023, the CTA provided nearly 36 million more rides compared to 2022. In 2023, bus ridership increased 15.5 percent over 2022. Rail ridership increased 13.4 percent.

 

Over the course of the year, the CTA also saw 27 days where ridership exceeded 1 million rides per day.

 

“Last year we experienced significant post-pandemic improvement and saw very good trends that we hope will continue, year-over-year, in 2024.,” said CTA President Dorval R. Carter, Jr. “As we look towards meeting the ridership demands of this year—particularly on rail-- we have set an aggressive goal of training 200 rail operators in 2024.”

 

Like transit systems across the country, CTA has seen consistent ridership growth since the start of the pandemic. CTA ridership dropped to around 20 percent in April 2020, and has gradually risen to just over 60 percent of pre-pandemic ridership.

 

CTA ridership info can be found at transitchicago.com/performance/#kpis

 

 

 

[CNJRoss]

WBEZ-FM (NPR), Chicago, IL 5/10/24

 

How has Chicago transit ridership recovered from the pandemic?

 

The number of riders on the CTA is rebounding slower than public transportation systems in other major cities.

 

Chicago-area public transit agencies could soon face an existential crisis.

 

When ridership plummeted at the onset of the pandemic and fare revenue was gutted, $3.5 billion in COVID-19 relief funding from the federal government kept the system afloat.

 

Now, transit advocates and state legislators are raising the alarm about what happens when those dollars expire: a looming $730 million budget shortfall. In April, state lawmakers introduced a bill that would merge the region’s public transit agencies — the Chicago Transit Authority, Metra and Pace — into one agency and shore up an additional $1.5 billion in funding annually.

 

SNIP

 

Overall ridership has been sluggish to return to pre-pandemic levels, sitting at just 60% of 2019 ridership in 2023.  . . .

Continue here.  

 

Cross-posted in CTA & Coronavirus and 

Illinois bill proposes merger of Chicago transit agencies