CTA ridership nearly doubles since January

Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) officials announced that ridership levels are bouncing back, reaching the highest levels since before the pandemic began.

Ridership increased from 10.8 million rides in January to more than 21 million rides in September. Daily ridership passed 800,000 — double the average weekday ridership at the beginning of the year — five times in September, reaching a peak of 846,000 riders on Sept. 17, CTA officials said in a press release.

Average weekday rail ridership to and from the Loop has almost tripled since the beginning of 2021, from 9,800 in January to 29,300 in September. Multiple factors have helped ridership grow this year, including a promotional discount on unlimited ride passes, to get people traveling on rail for more than just work, agency officials said.

The promotion helped add over 10 million rides during summer 2021.

Weekend ridership levels are at 60% to 65% of pre-pandemic levels, with ridership for major events in Chicago at or near 2019 levels. To continue growing ridership, the CTA plans to permanently reduce its unlimited-ride pass prices, as well as remove the 25-cent transfer fee in the fiscal-year 2022 budget.

“The fall season is typically our highest ridership period for the year, and in 2021, that tradition has resumed,” said CTA President Dorval Carter. “CTA daily ridership has consistently been at or above 50% of pre-pandemic levels, one of the strongest among large U.S. transit agencies.”