16th/18th ridership increased by 53.8 percent during November 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 433.5 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 | 433.5 |
| 2 | Evanston Circulator | 389.3 |
| 3 | Stockton/LaSalle Express | 368.4 |
| 4 | Ogilvie/Streeterville Express | 367.4 |
| 5 | Navy Pier | 350.2 |
| 6 | U. of Chicago/Hyde Park | 305.5 |
| 7 | Union/Streeterville Express | 287.1 |
| 8 | Clarendon/LaSalle Express | 278.7 |
| 9 | Water Tower Express | 216.4 |
| 10 | Streeterville/Taylor | 209 |
| 11 | Bronzeville/Union Station | 205 |
| 12 | LaSalle | 197.8 |
| 13 | Stockton/Michigan Express | 197.3 |
| 14 | Sedgwick | 192.6 |
| 15 | U. of Chicago Hospitals Express | 177 |
| 16 | Sheridan/LaSalle Express | 158.1 |
| 17 | West 65th | 151.1 |
| 18 | Hyde Park Express | 149.9 |
| 19 | Clarendon/Michigan Express | 144.3 |
| 20 | Central/Ridge | 133.3 |
| 21 | Addison | 131.2 |
| 22 | Narragansett/Ridgeland | 130.9 |
| 23 | 55th/Austin | 130.8 |
| 24 | Damen | 110.3 |
| 25 | South Damen | 106.5 |
| 26 | Harrison | 103.8 |
| 27 | Blue Island/26th | 101.3 |
| 28 | Inner Drive/Michigan Express | 100.5 |
| 29 | Montrose | 86.8 |
| 30 | Sheridan | 85.7 |
| 31 | Western Express | 81.3 |
| 32 | Archer/Harlem | 77.6 |
| 33 | Outer Drive Express | 75.6 |
| 34 | 31st | 75.2 |
| 35 | California/Dodge | 74 |
| 35 | Higgins | 74 |
| 37 | Wentworth | 72.8 |
| 37 | Grand | 72.8 |
| 39 | Northwest Highway | 71.8 |
| 40 | Chicago | 70.6 |
| 41 | Archer | 70.2 |
| 42 | South Pulaski | 69.9 |
| 43 | Clark | 67.4 |
| 44 | Armitage | 67 |
| 45 | Peterson | 66 |
| 45 | Halsted | 66 |
| 47 | Ashland Express | 65.3 |
| 48 | Broadway | 64.5 |
| 49 | 55th/Narragansett | 63.6 |
| 50 | Belmont | 63.5 |
| 51 | 31st/35th | 63 |
| 51 | Fullerton | 63 |
| 53 | Milwaukee | 61.1 |
| 54 | North Cicero/Skokie Blvd. | 60.3 |
| 55 | South Shore Express | 57.8 |
| 56 | Kimball-Homan | 57 |
| 56 | Diversey | 57 |
| 56 | East 103rd | 57 |
| 59 | Irving Park | 55.6 |
| 60 | West 63rd | 55 |
| 61 | 16th/18th | 53.8 |
| 62 | Vincennes/111th | 52.4 |
| 63 | Foster | 52.1 |
| 64 | Jackson | 50.3 |
| 65 | Pershing | 50 |
| 65 | North Western | 50 |
| 67 | Lincoln | 47.6 |
| 68 | Harlem | 46.9 |
| 69 | California | 46.2 |
| 70 | North | 44.1 |
| 71 | Division | 43.2 |
| 72 | State | 42.5 |
| 73 | King Drive | 41.7 |
| 74 | West Lawrence | 41.5 |
| 75 | South Chicago | 39.9 |
| 76 | Devon | 39.6 |
| 77 | Lawrence | 39 |
| 77 | Jackson Park Express | 39 |
| 79 | Wallace-Racine | 38.1 |
| 80 | 51st | 37.9 |
| 81 | Laramie | 37.5 |
| 82 | 59th/61st | 36.8 |
| 83 | Central | 35.5 |
| 84 | South Kedzie | 35.3 |
| 85 | Garfield | 35.1 |
| 86 | Cermak | 32.8 |
| 87 | Lunt | 31.9 |
| 88 | Western | 31.7 |
| 89 | Roosevelt | 31.2 |
| 90 | Skokie | 31 |
| 90 | Jeffery Jump | 31 |
| 92 | Pullman/115th | 28.3 |
| 93 | Kedzie | 28.2 |
| 94 | 47th | 27.6 |
| 94 | Halsted/95th | 27.6 |
| 96 | Madison | 27 |
| 97 | Pulaski | 26.3 |
| 98 | Cottage Grove | 23.6 |
| 99 | West 103rd | 23.5 |
| 100 | Ashland | 21.2 |
| 101 | 87th | 20.4 |
| 102 | 74th-75th | 19.2 |
| 103 | Stony Island | 18.6 |
| 104 | South Shore Night Bus | 18.1 |
| 105 | South Halsted | 17 |
| 105 | Cicero | 17 |
| 105 | Austin | 17 |
| 108 | Jeffery Local | 16.1 |
| 109 | Jeffery Manor Express | 15.9 |
| 110 | 111th/King Drive | 15.2 |
| 111 | 63rd | 15 |
| 111 | 67th-69th-71st | 15 |
| 113 | North Central | 13.9 |
| 114 | 71st/South Shore | 13.6 |
| 115 | 79th | 12.9 |
| 116 | South Cicero | 10.4 |
| 117 | 43rd | 9.2 |
| 118 | 95th | 8.9 |
| 119 | Michigan/119th | 1.6 |
| 120 | South Michigan | 1.5 |
