Chicago City Wire

Avon Express ridership decreased by 69.3 percent during March 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 Stockton/LaSalle Express route saw the largest increase in ridership with a 323.5 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	Stockton/LaSalle Express	323.5
2	Evanston Circulator	300
3	Navy Pier	248.7
4	Clarendon/LaSalle Express	248.2
5	Ogilvie/Streeterville Express	247.1
6	U. of Chicago/Hyde Park	235.1
7	Bronzeville/Union Station	188.1
8	Union/Streeterville Express	185.5
9	Sheridan/LaSalle Express	159
10	LaSalle	156.2
11	Water Tower Express	139.9
12	Sedgwick	137.4
13	Narragansett/Ridgeland	135.5
14	Clarendon/Michigan Express	134.9
15	Stockton/Michigan Express	130.1
16	Streeterville/Taylor	124.3
17	U. of Chicago Hospitals Express	116.5
18	West 65th	104.7
19	Harrison	102.8
19	South Damen	102.8
21	Hyde Park Express	96.4
22	Addison	92.3
23	Western Express	84.2
24	Northwest Highway	83.8
25	Central/Ridge	81.9
26	Inner Lake Shore/Michigan Expr	78.9
27	Damen	76.6
28	31st	72.1
29	Blue Island/26th	70.8
30	California/Dodge	68.1
31	West 63rd	67.9
32	Montrose	66.5
33	55th/Austin	62.7
34	Sheridan	61.8
35	Outer DuSable Lake Shore Expr	60.5
36	East 103rd	57.8
37	Higgins	57.7
38	55th/Narragansett	56.8
39	Peterson	56.2
40	Ashland Express	55
40	Archer/Harlem	55
42	South Shore Express	53.6
42	Vincennes/111th	53.6
44	Clark	52.3
45	Pershing	50.7
46	Archer	50.4
47	Foster	50.3
48	North Cicero/Skokie Blvd.	50.2
49	Grand	49.4
50	Broadway	49.3
51	Kimball-Homan	48.3
52	South Pulaski	47.9
52	Laramie	47.9
54	31st/35th	47.7
55	Lincoln	47.2
56	Wallace-Racine	47
57	Jeffery Manor Express	44.8
58	Jackson	44.6
59	Wentworth	44.5
60	59th/61st	43.4
60	Belmont	43.4
62	Halsted/95th	43.1
63	Milwaukee	42.9
64	Central	42.7
64	California	42.7
66	Diversey	41.4
67	51st	41.1
68	North Western	40.9
69	Chicago	40.8
70	Devon	40.4
71	State	40.1
72	Irving Park	39.3
73	Halsted	39
73	Fullerton	39
75	Armitage	37.4
76	Jackson Park Express	36.8
77	16th/18th	36.2
78	Pullman/115th	34.9
79	Kedzie	33.9
79	Lawrence	33.9
81	Austin	32.3
82	West Lawrence	31
83	Jeffery Jump	29
83	King Drive	29
83	Division	29
83	South Kedzie	29
87	West 103rd	27.7
88	South Chicago	25.5
89	Harlem	25
89	Jeffery Local	25
91	Cermak	24.4
92	111th/King Drive	23.2
93	Pulaski	22.3
94	Western	22.2
94	North	22.2
96	Garfield	21.4
97	Lunt	21.3
98	Roosevelt	20.7
99	Skokie	19.2
100	47th	18
101	Madison	16.7
102	74th-75th	16
103	87th	15
104	43rd	12.6
105	North Central	12.2
106	63rd	11.5
107	South Halsted	10.8
107	79th	10.8
109	95th	10.6
110	Stony Island	10.5
111	South Michigan	9.9
112	67th-69th-71st	9.8
113	Ashland	9.3
114	Michigan/119th	8.6
115	71st/South Shore	8.4
116	Cicero	7.6
117	South Shore Night Bus	6
117	South Cicero	6
119	Cottage Grove	5