The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) is implementing measures to address the issue of ghost buses, which often pass designated stops without stopping, leaving passengers perplexed and frustrated.
For years, riders have voiced their concerns about the inconvenience caused by these ghost buses, leading to longer waits for the next bus on their routes.
To enhance passenger confidence and improve services, the CTA has begun to provide data on buses canceled each day, preventing them from appearing in tracking apps.
This initiative has been in effect since May 1, marking a significant step in rebuilding trust in the CTA’s transit system post-pandemic.
Average weekday ridership has only reached about 69 percent of pre-pandemic levels, prompting the agency to seek ways to attract more riders to both buses and trains throughout Chicago.
Residents of the South and West Sides, in particular, depend on CTA buses for commuting to work and other essential destinations.
In prior years, the CTA published real-time tracking information for buses, enabling transit-focused applications to notify riders about approaching buses.
However, during the pandemic, many riders were left uncertain about whether a bus scheduled to arrive would actually show up.
The prevalence of ghost buses escalated during this time due to a shortage of operators, resulting in the CTA operating fewer buses than initially scheduled.
At the time, the agency acknowledged that ghost buses plagued the service because it lacked a technical method to remove buses from the schedule that were not expected to run, owing to staffing shortages.
Pre-pandemic staffing levels were not fully restored until now, as the CTA could only update its bus timetables biannually according to union contracts.
With most staffing issues now resolved, the CTA reports that it has corrected many of the bus cancellations affecting tracking apps.
The agency currently employs more bus operators than it did before the pandemic, and it almost has an equivalent number of train operators on staff.
As part of its ongoing improvements, the CTA has announced enhancements in the Ventra app as well as Google Maps and Apple Maps, where canceled buses will soon be indicated.
The CTA’s fleet consists of 1,966 buses that cover 127 routes across a total of 1,516 route miles.
Each day, buses make approximately 18,503 trips while serving 10,588 bus stops throughout the region.
As the second-largest public transportation system in the United States, the CTA facilitates around 953,787 rides on an average weekday.
The agency operates not only within the City of Chicago but also serves 35 surrounding suburbs, accounting for 87 percent of public transit trips in the six-county Chicago metropolitan area through both direct and connecting services with Metra and Pace.
Recent data shows that in June, the CTA was able to operate 98.8 percent of its scheduled bus services and 88 percent of its scheduled trains, indicating substantial improvement.
Interim CTA President Nora Leerhsen assumed her role on February 1, succeeding Dorval Carter Jr.
Carter faced criticism for his response to safety and reliability issues during the pandemic, leading to significant changes in leadership.
Under Leerhsen’s guidance, the agency has deployed field supervisors monitoring service delivery, resulting in increased reliability of 90 percent and a substantial decrease in complaints from riders.
image source from：chicagocrusader
