Buses

SBC readers may remember that a year ago I took a busman's holiday, or rather a transit writer's getaway, by checking out the promised Frequent Network 10-minutes-or-better bus intervals on the #54 Cicero bus, which debuted that day. Not coincidentally, the date was March 23, my 54th birthday.

The initial results for the City's Smart Streets enforcement pilot are promising, hopefully paving the way for effective bus-priority streets citywide.

Earlier this month, the CTA announced it was launching a "Frequent Network for Buses," with runs scheduled to show up every 10 minutes or less, all day, seven days a week. The plan called for providing shorter headways (waits between runs) on 20 high-ridership bus lines by the end of 2025, with upgrades to four more routes each quarter.

The CTA recently announced it's launching a "Frequent Network" with ten-minute or shorter headways all day, seven days a week. The initiative includes 20 high-ridership bus lines citywide dubbed "Frequent Routes," starting with eight lines mostly located on the South Side. Some transit advocates say they're excited about the new initiatives, and have their fingers crossed that the increased service will be dependable, and free from the much-loathed "bus bunching" phenomenon.

Pace riders may get more evening and weekend service in 2025 – but it will be another month before they’ll see any details on what that might look like.

Here's hoping that this subtle change in CTA sign design is handy for all CTA bus rider, but particularly helpful to those with visual challenges.

There was good news on Tuesday for the CTA, as well as four other public transportation systems across Illinois, as the FTA announced $1.66 billion in grants to help electrify bus fleets nationwide.

By expanding the areas that are eligible for TOD to include zones around busy bus corridors, the city could help spur investment in low-income neighborhoods.

It doesn't take much money to make riding the bus a lot more convenient. With little more than orange cones, Boston set up a bus lane on one of its most important but congested bus corridors -- and it worked wonders.