6.33 million CTA rides recorded the first week of October, highest since the pandemic

CHICAGO - The Chicago Transit Authority said it provided 6.33 million rides during the first week of October, the highest weekly total since the start of the pandemic.

Ridership was boosted by good weather and out-of-town marathon runners. The first week of October included 1.53 million rides Oct. 3 and 1.56 million Oct. 4.

"The increase in marathon ridership over last year is the result of the work we have been doing to recover post-pandemic. These ridership numbers are made possible by our aggressive hiring and retention efforts over the past year," CTA President Dorval R. Carter Jr. said in a news release.

The CTA said it expects to provide nearly 26 million rides in October. September’s 25.83 million rides is the highest monthly total so far this year. In October 2019, the CTA recorded 42.38 million rides.

Bus ridership in 2023 has increased 22% in 2023 compared to 2022, the agency said. Train ridership is up 15%.