Urban recovery in Chicago has been marked by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) shattering post-pandemic records with over 6.33 million rides in the first week of October 2023, as reported on CTA's website. This reflects a resurgence of public confidence in using the city's public transportation system.
The surge in ridership is due to favorable weather conditions, influx of the marathon participants and their families, as well as local preparations for the big athletic event. An estimated 655,700 rides were facilitated by the CTA on the day the 2023 Chicago Marathon, leading to the highest Sunday ridership since 2020. Bus ridership saw a 22% increase compared to 2022, with rail witnessing an increase of 15%.
CTA President Dorval R. Carter, Jr. attributed the significant increase in marathon ridership to the active employee hiring and retention efforts over the past year. The president's statement underscores the importance of a strong workforce to maintaining and improving a transportation system to meet public needs.
According to the CTA, ridership remained steady even post-marathon, recording another six million ride days. This brought the season's total to an impressive 21 million ride days. The past month accounted for nearly 26 million rides, the highest since beginning of the pandemic.
