Chicago City Wire

Higgins ridership decreased by 54.3 percent during August 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 96 percent drop.

Bus transit experienced a 57.2 percent decline in ridership overall during the month. Train ridership across the city during the same month saw a decrease of 78 percent year over year. The train station that saw the largest decrease was the Merchandise Mart station with a decrease of 90.8 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	96
2	Union/Streeterville Express	94.8
3	Ogilvie/Streeterville Express	94
3	Clarendon/LaSalle Express	94
5	U. of Chicago/Hyde Park	92.7
6	W ater Tower Express	92.2
7	LaSalle	90.2
8	Sedgwick	89.4
9	Bronzeville/Union Station	88.9
10	Stockton/Michigan Express	88.6
11	Sheridan/LaSalle Express	87.7
12	Navy Pier	86.7
13	U. of Chicago/Kenwood	86.3
14	Hyde Park Express	85.8
15	U. of Chicago Hospitals Express	83.9
16	Streeterville/T aylor	81
16	Clarendon/Michigan Express	81
18	Evanston Circulator	78.2
19	55th/Austin	74.7
20	Harrison	70.9
21	Grand	70.4
22	W entworth	70.2
23	Inner Drive/Michigan Express	67.6
24	Sheridan	67.5
25	Addison	65.8
26	55th/Narragansett	65.5
27	Armitage	64.8
28	Kedzie	64.2
29	Montrose	64.1
30	Halsted	63.4
30	Blue Island/26th	63.4
32	Damen	62.9
32	Archer	62.9
34	31st/35th	62.8
35	Chicago	62.6
35	Central/Ridge	62.6
37	31st	62.4
38	North Cicero/Skokie Blvd.	62.2
39	South Shore Express	62.1
40	State	61.9
40	Jackson	61.9
42	North	61.7
43	16th/18th	61.4
44	Narragansett/Ridgeland	60.5
45	South Dam en	60.3
46	Clark	59.7
47	Ashland Express	59.5
48	Jackson Park Express	59.3
49	Outer Drive Express	58.9
50	Lunt	58.6
51	Jeffery Jump	58.5
51	Diversey	58.5
53	Belmont	58.4
54	Pershing	58.3
55	W estern Express	58.2
56	Fullerton	58
56	King Drive	58
56	Milwaukee	58
56	Division	58
60	South Pulaski	57
60	Madison	57
60	Garfield	57
60	Peterson	57
64	59th/61st	56.2
65	South Shore Night Bus	55.9
66	W est 65th	55.8
67	Archer/Harlem	55.3
68	Irving Park	54.8
68	Halsted/95th	54.8
70	California/Dodge	54.5
71	Higgins	54.3
72	Roosevelt	54.2
72	Vincennes/111th	54.2
74	Kimball-Homan	54
74	Cermak	54
74	East 103rd	54
74	Stony Island	54
78	W est Lawrence	53.2
79	South Michigan	53.1
79	87th	53.1
81	Lincoln	53
81	Skokie	53
81	South Kedzie	53
81	North W estern	53
85	Cottage Grove	52.2
86	63rd	52
86	W estern	52
86	Austin	52
89	Broadway	51.4
90	Pulaski	51.3
90	Northwest Highway	51.3
92	W est 103rd	50.9
93	W allace-Racine	50.6
94	79th	50.4
94	Jeffery Manor Express	50.4
96	South Chicago	50.1
97	W est 63rd	49.8
98	74th-75th	49.6
99	Cicero	49.5
100	51st	49.4
100	Pullman/115th	49.4
102	Devon	49.2
103	67th-69th-71st	48.8
104	43rd	48.6
104	Harlem	48.6
106	Lawrence	48.1
107	South Cicero	48
107	Laramie	48
107	47th	48
107	North Central	48
111	Ashland	46.7
112	Foster	46.5
113	Central	46.3
114	Jeffery Local	45.8
115	71st/South Shore	45.4
116	South Halsted	44.6
117	111th/King Drive	44.1
118	95th	44
118	Michigan/119th	44
120	California	39.3
121	Pullman Shuttle	23.4