Chicago City Wire

79th ridership decreased by 52.1 percent during May 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 route that saw the largest decrease in ridership was Stockton/LaSalle Express with 98.7 percent drop.

Bus transit experienced a 67.9 percent decline in ridership overall during the month. Train ridership across the city during the same month saw a decrease of 88.4 percent year over year. The train station that saw the largest decrease was the Merchandise Mart station with a decrease of 97.6 percent.

So far, the CTA has made no service cuts even with the decrease in ridership. The Metra, which provides service to many of Chicago’s suburbs has seen a 97 percent 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.

Rank	Route	Ridership decline year over year (%)
1	Stockton/LaSalle Express	98.7
2	Clarendon/LaSalle Express	97.6
3	Ogilvie/Streeterville Express	97.2
4	U. of Chicago/Hyde Park	96.3
5	Stockton/Michigan Express	95.9
6	Bronzeville/Union Station	94.5
7	Union/Streeterville Express	94.1
8	Sheridan/LaSalle Express	94
8	U. of Chicago/Kenwood	94
8	Water T ower Express	94
8	Evanston Circulator	94
8	LaSalle	94
13	Clarendon/Michigan Express	93.1
14	U. of Chicago Hospitals Express	93
14	55th/Austin	93
14	Hyde Park Express	93
17	Sedgwick	92.1
18	Navy Pier	91.5
19	Streeterville/Taylor	91.2
20	Narragansett/Ridgeland	87.5
21	Addison	86.1
22	Central/Ridge	86
22	55th/Narragansett	86
22	South Damen	86
25	Inner Drive/Michigan Express	85.4
26	North Cicero/Skokie Blvd.	83
27	Arm itage	82.1
28	31st	82
28	Grand	82
28	Damen	82
31	Peterson	81.3
32	Lunt	81
32	Higgins	81
32	North Central	81
35	Lincoln	78.7
36	Blue Island/26th	78.3
36	Sheridan	78.3
38	Harrison	78
38	South Shore Express	78
38	South Pulaski	78
41	Belmont	77.2
42	Wentworth	77.1
43	Irving Park	76.7
44	Archer	76.3
45	Montrose	76.1
46	Diversey	75.9
47	31st/35th	75.7
47	West Lawrence	75.7
49	Outer Drive Express	75.2
50	California/Dodge	75.1
51	Fullerton	75
51	Harlem	75
51	Northwest Highway	75
54	Halsted/95th	74.4
55	Western Express	74.3
56	West 65th	74.2
57	16th/18th	73.8
58	Ashland Express	72.7
59	Clark	72.5
60	Foster	72.3
61	Archer/Harlem	71.9
62	51st	71.5
63	Jackson Park Express	71.1
64	Halsted	71
64	Skokie	71
64	Jeffery Jump	71
64	South Kedzie	71
68	Vincennes/111th	70.2
69	Division	70.1
69	Jeffery Manor Express	70.1
71	North Western	70
71	Pershing	70
73	Milwaukee	68.5
74	California	68.4
75	West 63rd	67.8
75	Chicago	67.8
77	59th/61st	67.4
78	Garfield	67.3
79	Austin	67.2
80	Lawrence	67.1
81	Kimball-Homan	65.9
82	King Drive	65.4
83	North	64.9
84	Broadway	64.7
85	Roosevelt	64.3
86	Cerm ak	64.2
86	Wallace-Racine	64.2
88	South Chicago	63.9
88	West 103rd	63.9
88	East 103rd	63.9
91	Devon	63.7
92	43rd	63.5
93	Jackson	62.9
94	Kedzie	62.7
95	Stony Island	62.5
96	State	62.3
97	Pullman/115th	61.7
98	Laram ie	61.4
99	Western	60.5
100	111th/King Drive	59.8
101	South Michigan	59.7
102	47th	58.4
103	87th	58.3
104	Jeffery Local	58.2
105	South Halsted	57.2
106	Cottage Grove	57.1
107	Central	56.7
108	Pulaski	56.4
109	95th	56.3
110	63rd	55.7
110	67th-69th-71st	55.7
112	74th-75th	54.8
113	South Cicero	54.7
114	71st/South Shore	54.2
115	Michigan/119th	52.2
116	79th	52.1
117	Madison	51.7
118	Ashland	50.5
119	Cicero	50.4
120	South Shore Night Bus	35.4
121	Avon Express	27
122	Pullman Shuttle	17.3
123	69th-UPS Express	15.2