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Study: Ventra Fees Cost Social Service Providers 140,000 Bus Rides Per Year
Ever since the Chicago Transit Authority and Pace switched from magnetic stripe fare cards to the Ventra smart card system in 2013, social service providers across Chicago have been spending more money on paying for their clients' transit rides, and giving out fewer rides. A new report from the Chicago Jobs Council details the burdens that Ventra fare policies and ticket ordering delays place on social service organization staff members and money dedicated to helping clients. The jobs council works to change laws and policies to increase access to jobs for marginalized workers.
May 9, 2016
CTA Reports Huge Ridership Gains on Blue Line, Losses on South Side
New ridership numbers for the Chicago Transit Authority's 'L' stations show some interesting changes over the past 17 years. The increases in ridership at some stations have been obvious, but the decreases at other stations are a little surprising.
March 29, 2016
RTA Report: CTA Runs an Efficient Transit System Compared to Peer Agencies
This week, rapid transit headaches in Washington, D.C. and the Bay Area highlighted the need for better maintenance of U.S. public transportation infrastructure. However, a new report from Chicagoland's Regional Transportation Authority suggests that the CTA is in a little better shape than its peers.
March 18, 2016
Eyes on the Street: Concrete Pad for Bus Riders Installed in East Garfield
People catching the Chicago Transit Authority's 94-South California bus in East Garfield Park no longer have to wait for their ride in the dirt.
March 17, 2016
Life in the Fast Lane: Shuttles Are Still Illegally Using the Loop Link Route
Private bus lines in the Loop Link bus rapid transit lanes is definitely a thing.
March 3, 2016
Metra To Study Changes to Make its Fare Structure More “Creative”
Metra, the regional commuter train operator, is seeking a consultant to develop "creative recommendations" on how to change its fare structure. The consultant would be in charge of finding the pros and cons of the current fare structure, comparing it to Metra's commuter rail peers around the country, and building a model that allows Metra to test how different fare policies would affect ridership and revenue. The Request for Proposals is due at the end of the month.
February 25, 2016
ITDP Says Patience Is the Watchword When It Comes to Loop Link Speeds
[The Chicago Reader recently launched a new weekly transportation column written by Streetsblog Chicago editor John Greenfield. This partnership will allow Streetsblog to extend the reach of our livable streets advocacy. We’ll be syndicating a portion of the column on the day it comes out online; you can read the remainder on the Reader’s website or in print. The paper hits the streets on Thursdays.]
January 7, 2016
Why Are Loop Link Buses Moving So Slow, and Will They Get Faster?
Since Chicago's Loop Link bus rapid transit corridor launched last Sunday, there's been little or no improvement in bus travel times along the route. It turns out that a big part of the problem is that the CTA currently requires bus operators to drive at walking speed while passing by the long, raised station platforms. Hopefully, as operators and CTA customers get used to the new infrastructure, bus speeds will get much faster.
December 23, 2015
Chicago Should Take Over the North Lake Shore Drive Redesign Project
Last week, the Illinois Department of Transportation hosted the first public meeting on the North Lake Shore Drive reconstruction project in almost a year and a half. This state-jurisdiction road, which is located entirely within the city limits, currently restricts access to our lakefront. And since CTA "express" buses are forced to share travel lanes with cars, the buses are slowed to a crawl during peak-hour traffic jams.
December 17, 2015
Transit Rankings Agree: Chicago’s Service Not As Good As Other Big Cities
A recent analysis of transit service in United States cities found that Chicago ranked #6, behind New York City, San Francisco, Boston, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia. Transit Score, from the Walk Score company now owned by the realtor Redfin, reviewed public schedules data provided by the transit agencies in each city to study how often trains and buses come to stops near people's homes.
December 8, 2015