CTA hits highest ridership level since pandemic

CHICAGO - The CTA is seeing ridership levels return to pre-pandemic form as students return to school.

On four days in late August and early September, the CTA recorded more than one million rides: Aug. 29, Aug. 30, Sept. 6 and Sept. 7. The latter saw more than 1,033,000 rides which is the highest daily ridership number since before the pandemic.

It also marks the first time the agency has had over a million rides on multiple days in back-to-back weeks since the pandemic.

The fall months are typically the highest ridership months for the CTA, reflecting students returning to classrooms.

"As we continue to recover from the pandemic, these milestones demonstrate the necessity, sustainability and affordability of CTA service for our communities," CTA President Dorval R. Carter Jr. said in a statement. "While special events have helped boast ridership on the weekends, hitting and exceeding the one million rides mark on weekdays is an encouraging sign that Chicagoland is back on board CTA’s buses and trains."