West Cook News

Cottage Grove ridership increased by 3.4 percent during June 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 Clarendon/LaSalle Express route saw the largest increase in ridership with a 153.8 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 2021 to 2022 (%)
1	Clarendon/LaSalle Express	153.8
2	Stockton/LaSalle Express	125.4
3	Bronzeville/Union Station	123.4
4	Ogilvie/Streeterville Express	90.9
5	Clarendon/Michigan Express	83.9
6	Sheridan/LaSalle Express	83.1
7	Sedgwick	78.5
8	LaSalle	77.3
9	Stockton/Michigan Express	75.4
10	U. of Chicago/Kenwood	73.6
11	55th/Narragansett	72.7
12	Water Tower Express	61.1
12	Streeterville/Taylor	61.1
14	Navy Pier	58.3
14	U. of Chicago/Hyde Park	58.3
16	South Damen	58.2
17	Hyde Park Express	55.3
18	Montrose	53.4
19	California/Dodge	52.9
20	Narragansett/Ridgeland	52.8
21	U. of Chicago Hospitals Express	52.6
22	Jeffery Manor Express	50.9
23	Archer/Harlem	50.7
24	West 65th	50.5
25	Western Express	48.4
26	Inner Lake Shore/Michigan Expr	48.2
27	East 103rd	44.9
28	Harrison	44.5
29	Northwest Highway	44.4
30	Pershing	44.2
31	South Shore Night Bus	43.7
32	Central/Ridge	43.3
33	Union/Streeterville Express	42.5
34	Addison	39.5
35	Blue Island/26th	39.1
36	Wallace-Racine	37.6
37	Ashland Express	37.4
38	Halsted/95th	35.6
39	West 63rd	35
39	Sheridan	35
41	Foster	34.3
42	Damen	34
43	59th/61st	33.2
44	Central	32.7
45	51st	32.1
46	Peterson	32
47	Jackson	31
47	Outer DuSable Lake Shore Expr	31
49	Lincoln	30.4
50	North Central	29.5
50	Pullman/115th	29.5
52	Devon	28.6
53	Higgins	28.1
54	Laramie	27.1
55	Wentworth	27
55	North Cicero/Skokie Blvd.	27
55	69th-UPS Express	27
55	Archer	27
59	31st	26.1
60	Jeffery Local	25.3
61	Austin	24.8
62	North Western	24.7
63	Harlem	24.6
64	31st/35th	23.9
64	Diversey	23.9
66	South Michigan	23.7
67	West Lawrence	23.6
68	Kedzie	23.4
69	Cermak	22.9
70	Vincennes/111th	22.8
71	Grand	22.6
72	Clark	22.4
73	Broadway	21.8
74	Belmont	21.4
75	North	21.3
76	South Kedzie	21.1
76	California	21.1
78	Chicago	20.9
79	111th/King Drive	20.3
80	Fullerton	19.5
80	Irving Park	19.5
82	Roosevelt	19
82	Milwaukee	19
82	Jeffery Jump	19
82	Madison	19
86	16th/18th	18.3
86	South Pulaski	18.3
88	South Shore Express	17.1
89	Lawrence	16.8
90	Kimball-Homan	16.5
91	Pulaski	16.4
92	King Drive	16
92	Western	16
92	South Cicero	16
92	Lunt	16
92	Halsted	16
92	South Chicago	16
98	Skokie	14.9
99	74th-75th	14.6
100	Michigan/119th	14.1
101	Armitage	13.8
102	Division	13.3
103	87th	13.2
104	South Halsted	13.1
105	Cicero	12.9
106	Jackson Park Express	11.8
106	55th/Austin	11.8
108	West 103rd	11.7
109	47th	11.5
110	95th	10.4
111	79th	10.2
112	Evanston Circulator	9.9
113	State	9.5
114	63rd	8.3
115	67th-69th-71st	8.2
116	Museum of S & I	7.7
117	Garfield	7.6
118	Ashland	6.4
119	Stony Island	4.9
120	Pullman Shuttle	4.7
121	43rd	4.4
122	Cottage Grove	3.4
123	71st/South Shore	3.1