North Cook News

Avon Express ridership decreased by 88.8 percent during July 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 69th-UPS Express route saw the largest increase in ridership with a 107.3 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	69th-UPS Express	107.3
2	Bronzeville/Union Station	92.2
3	Clarendon/LaSalle Express	90
4	U. of Chicago/Kenwood	83.3
5	U. of Chicago/Hyde Park	66.8
6	Sedgwick	54.8
7	Ogilvie/Streeterville Express	53.4
8	Stockton/LaSalle Express	53.2
9	Sheridan/LaSalle Express	46.6
10	Clarendon/Michigan Express	45
11	U. of Chicago Hospitals Express	44.4
12	Jeffery Manor Express	42.3
13	Streeterville/Taylor	40.8
14	LaSalle	36.4
15	South Shore Night Bus	35.1
16	Central/Ridge	31.8
17	Montrose	31.5
18	Pershing	31.1
19	Wallace-Racine	29
19	Inner Lake Shore/Michigan Expr	29
21	55th/Narragansett	26.6
22	59th/61st	26.3
23	California/Dodge	26.2
24	Harrison	26.1
25	Hyde Park Express	25.1
26	East 103rd	25
27	31st	24
27	Archer/Harlem	24
29	Western Express	22.8
30	West 63rd	22.7
31	Outer DuSable Lake Shore Expr	22.5
32	Central	21.8
33	Ashland Express	21
34	South Damen	19.8
35	Devon	18.9
36	Blue Island/26th	18.6
37	North Central	18.5
37	Sheridan	18.5
39	Northwest Highway	18.2
39	Navy Pier	18.2
41	51st	17.7
41	Harlem	17.7
43	Foster	16.4
44	West Lawrence	16.1
45	Damen	15
45	Archer	15
47	Lincoln	14.4
48	Kedzie	13.9
49	Wentworth	13.4
50	Jackson	13.2
51	Broadway	13
51	North Western	13
51	Stockton/Michigan Express	13
54	Austin	12.4
55	North Cicero/Skokie Blvd.	12.2
55	Lunt	12.2
55	West 65th	12.2
58	Narragansett/Ridgeland	11.5
59	Fullerton	11.4
60	Grand	11.2
61	Roosevelt	11
61	Peterson	11
61	74th-75th	11
61	87th	11
65	Diversey	10.3
66	Clark	10.2
67	South Halsted	10.1
68	Madison	9.5
69	Addison	9.4
70	South Cicero	9
70	Pullman/115th	9
70	Cermak	9
70	Laramie	9
70	Division	9
70	South Pulaski	9
70	Jeffery Jump	9
70	California	9
70	Skokie	9
79	Union/Streeterville Express	8.4
80	Western	8.1
81	Lawrence	7.9
82	South Kedzie	7.8
82	West 103rd	7.8
84	111th/King Drive	7.2
85	Higgins	7.1
86	Pulaski	6.7
87	31st/35th	6.5
88	King Drive	6.2
89	47th	6
89	Water Tower Express	6
89	Cicero	6
92	Halsted	5.3
93	Chicago	5.1
94	Belmont	4.9
95	67th-69th-71st	4.3
96	Vincennes/111th	3.7
97	Jeffery Local	3.5
98	North	3.3
99	Museum of S & I	3.2
100	79th	2.6
101	16th/18th	2.4
102	Milwaukee	1.6
103	Irving Park	1.4
104	South Michigan	0.7
104	Armitage	0.7
106	South Shore Express	0.4
107	Kimball-Homan	0.1