Diversey ridership increased by 42.2 percent during October 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 514.9 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 | 514.9 |
| 2 | Evanston Circulator | 393.2 |
| 3 | Navy Pier | 306.9 |
| 4 | Stockton/LaSalle Express | 247.7 |
| 5 | U. of Chicago/Hyde Park | 224.7 |
| 6 | Ogilvie/Streeterville Express | 209.8 |
| 7 | Union/Streeterville Express | 178.6 |
| 8 | Water Tower Express | 161 |
| 9 | U. of Chicago Hospitals Express | 155.7 |
| 10 | Bronzeville/Union Station | 146.9 |
| 11 | Streeterville/Taylor | 136.6 |
| 12 | LaSalle | 131 |
| 13 | Stockton/Michigan Express | 129.3 |
| 14 | West 65th | 125.4 |
| 15 | Hyde Park Express | 118.8 |
| 16 | Sedgwick | 116 |
| 17 | Narragansett/Ridgeland | 109.9 |
| 18 | Clarendon/LaSalle Express | 108.9 |
| 19 | Addison | 102.5 |
| 20 | Clarendon/Michigan Express | 93.7 |
| 21 | Sheridan/LaSalle Express | 91.9 |
| 22 | 55th/Austin | 89.5 |
| 23 | South Damen | 86.7 |
| 24 | Harrison | 80.2 |
| 25 | Central/Ridge | 77.3 |
| 26 | Damen | 77.2 |
| 27 | Blue Island/26th | 74.4 |
| 28 | Montrose | 69.6 |
| 29 | Northwest Highway | 67.3 |
| 30 | Inner Drive/Michigan Express | 66.2 |
| 31 | Western Express | 64.3 |
| 32 | 31st | 63.7 |
| 33 | Sheridan | 59.8 |
| 34 | Grand | 58.1 |
| 35 | Wentworth | 56.7 |
| 36 | 31st/35th | 55.8 |
| 37 | South Pulaski | 55.6 |
| 38 | Higgins | 55.4 |
| 39 | Peterson | 53.3 |
| 40 | California/Dodge | 52.5 |
| 41 | Ashland Express | 51.2 |
| 42 | Archer/Harlem | 51.1 |
| 42 | Outer Drive Express | 51.1 |
| 44 | West 63rd | 50.6 |
| 45 | Fullerton | 50 |
| 45 | Armitage | 50 |
| 47 | Chicago | 49.2 |
| 48 | Kimball-Homan | 49.1 |
| 49 | Belmont | 47.9 |
| 50 | East 103rd | 47.5 |
| 51 | Milwaukee | 46.8 |
| 52 | Archer | 46.5 |
| 53 | Halsted | 46 |
| 53 | Irving Park | 46 |
| 55 | Broadway | 44.4 |
| 56 | 55th/Narragansett | 43.1 |
| 56 | Jackson | 43.1 |
| 58 | 51st | 42.2 |
| 58 | Diversey | 42.2 |
| 60 | Foster | 41.3 |
| 61 | Vincennes/111th | 41.1 |
| 62 | Clark | 41 |
| 63 | Lincoln | 37.5 |
| 64 | 16th/18th | 37 |
| 65 | North Western | 35.9 |
| 66 | State | 35.8 |
| 67 | Pershing | 35.7 |
| 68 | South Shore Express | 34.1 |
| 69 | North | 34 |
| 69 | North Cicero/Skokie Blvd. | 34 |
| 71 | California | 32.1 |
| 72 | Jackson Park Express | 31.7 |
| 73 | Division | 31.6 |
| 74 | Harlem | 30.2 |
| 75 | King Drive | 30.1 |
| 76 | Lawrence | 28.3 |
| 77 | Garfield | 27.5 |
| 78 | Central | 27.4 |
| 79 | South Kedzie | 27.2 |
| 80 | West Lawrence | 27 |
| 81 | Kedzie | 26.4 |
| 82 | 59th/61st | 26.2 |
| 83 | Laramie | 25.8 |
| 84 | Cermak | 24.9 |
| 85 | Devon | 24.4 |
| 86 | Roosevelt | 23.9 |
| 87 | Lunt | 22.4 |
| 88 | Western | 22.2 |
| 88 | Skokie | 22.2 |
| 90 | South Chicago | 22.1 |
| 91 | 47th | 21.6 |
| 92 | Jeffery Jump | 21.2 |
| 92 | Pullman/115th | 21.2 |
| 94 | Wallace-Racine | 20.6 |
| 95 | West 103rd | 17.3 |
| 96 | Jeffery Local | 17 |
| 97 | Austin | 16.4 |
| 98 | Pulaski | 16.2 |
| 98 | Halsted/95th | 16.2 |
| 100 | Jeffery Manor Express | 15.8 |
| 101 | 87th | 15.2 |
| 102 | 74th-75th | 14.8 |
| 103 | Ashland | 14.6 |
| 104 | Cottage Grove | 14.1 |
| 105 | Madison | 13.8 |
| 106 | South Halsted | 13.7 |
| 107 | 111th/King Drive | 12.3 |
| 108 | 63rd | 10.6 |
| 109 | Stony Island | 10.4 |
| 110 | Cicero | 8.3 |
| 111 | 67th-69th-71st | 8.1 |
| 112 | 95th | 8 |
| 113 | 43rd | 7.3 |
| 114 | 71st/South Shore | 6.8 |
| 115 | South Shore Night Bus | 6.1 |
| 116 | 79th | 5.2 |
| 117 | South Michigan | 4.4 |
