Chicago City Wire

Inner Lake Shore/Michigan Expr ridership increased by 26.8 percent during September 2022 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 U. of Chicago/Hyde Park route saw the largest increase in ridership with a 197.5 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.

While ridership hasn't returned to pre-pandemic levels, CTA's president Dorval R. Cart Jr. said weekday ridership has doubled since the initial shutdown and continues to increase.

Rank	Route	Ridership increase from 2021 to 2022 (%)
1	U. of Chicago/Hyde Park	197.5
2	Clarendon/LaSalle Express	95.6
3	Stockton/LaSalle Express	87.8
4	Sedgwick	63.5
5	Bronzeville/Union Station	50.4
6	69th-UPS Express	49.9
7	Sheridan/LaSalle Express	49.7
8	LaSalle	44.7
9	Clarendon/Michigan Express	38
10	Harrison	30.2
11	Wallace-Racine	29.5
12	Lunt	28.8
13	West Lawrence	27.2
13	Central/Ridge	27.2
15	Inner Lake Shore/Michigan Expr	26.8
16	United Center Express	26.3
17	Lincoln	26
17	51st	26
19	Western Express	25.1
19	U. of Chicago/Kenwood	25.1
21	U. of Chicago Hospitals Express	25
21	59th/61st	25
23	Madison	24.3
24	Streeterville/Taylor	23.3
25	Jeffery Manor Express	23.2
26	Northwest Highway	20.2
27	Sheridan	19.7
28	Wentworth	19.6
29	Pershing	19.2
30	North Western	18.5
30	East 103rd	18.5
32	South Shore Express	18.4
32	Narragansett/Ridgeland	18.4
34	Broadway	18.2
35	North Central	18
35	South Damen	18
37	Devon	17.4
38	California	17
39	Higgins	16.3
40	74th-75th	16
40	California/Dodge	16
40	Jeffery Jump	16
40	South Michigan	16
44	Laramie	15.3
45	State	14.9
46	Outer DuSable Lake Shore Expr	14.6
47	Foster	14.3
48	West 63rd	14.2
49	Western	13.8
50	Skokie	13.6
51	South Cicero	13.4
51	Archer/Harlem	13.4
51	Harlem	13.4
54	Navy Pier	13
54	Clark	13
54	43rd	13
57	Montrose	12.4
57	Central	12.4
59	South Pulaski	12
59	Jackson	12
59	Halsted/95th	12
59	Damen	12
59	Archer	12
64	31st	11.4
65	Diversey	11.2
66	Pulaski	11
66	North Cicero/Skokie Blvd.	11
66	Blue Island/26th	11
66	North	11
70	West 103rd	10.1
71	Fullerton	9.9
72	Division	9.8
73	Halsted	9.5
74	Austin	9.3
75	Cicero	9.1
76	16th/18th	8.8
77	Pullman/115th	8.7
78	Kedzie	8.5
78	Chicago	8.5
78	Water Tower Express	8.5
81	67th-69th-71st	8.4
82	South Shore Night Bus	7.9
83	Pullman Shuttle	7.6
84	87th	7.3
85	Ashland Express	7.2
85	55th/Austin	7.2
85	63rd	7.2
88	Cermak	6.9
89	Jackson Park Express	6.7
89	Ashland	6.7
91	Belmont	6.6
91	Union/Streeterville Express	6.6
93	Stony Island	4.8
93	Grand	4.8
95	55th/Narragansett	4.6
96	Vincennes/111th	4.5
97	Peterson	3.6
97	111th/King Drive	3.6
97	West 65th	3.6
100	Armitage	3.3
101	South Kedzie	2.9
102	Irving Park	1.6
103	Roosevelt	1.5
103	Michigan/119th	1.5
105	Lawrence	1.4
106	31st/35th	0.9
107	South Halsted	0.7