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  CTA services: "L" and bus | |
| Parent | Regional Transportation Authority |
|---|---|
| Founded | October 1, 1947; 78 years ago (1947-10-01) |
| Headquarters | 567 West Lake Street,West Loop,Chicago,Illinois |
| Locale | Chicago, Illinois & Suburbs |
| Service type | Bus and Rapid Transit |
| Routes | Bus: 140, Rail: 8 |
| Fleet | Bus: 1,879, Rail: 1,190 |
| Daily ridership |
|
| Annual ridership |
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| Fuel type | Diesel,Diesel-electric hybrid, Electric-Drive Motor/Battery |
| Chief executive | Nora Leerhsen[3] |
| Website | www |
TheChicago Transit Authority (CTA) is the operator ofmass transit inChicago, Illinois, United States, and some of itssuburbs, including the trains of theChicago "L" andCTA bus service. In 2024, the system had a ridership of 309,197,200, or about 1,013,300 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2025.
The CTA is anIllinoisindependent governmental agency[4] that started operations on October 1, 1947, upon the purchase and combination of the transportation assets of theChicago Rapid Transit Company and theChicago Surface Lines streetcar system. In 1952, CTA purchased the assets of theChicago Motor Coach Company, which was under the control ofYellow Cab Company founderJohn D. Hertz, resulting in a fully unified system. Today, the CTA is one of the three service boards financially supported by theRegional Transportation Authority and CTA service connects with the commuter railMetra, and suburban bus and regionalparatransit service,Pace.
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The Chicago Transit Authority provides service in Chicago and 10 surrounding suburbs.
The CTA operates 24 hours each day and on an average weekday provides over 950,000 rides on buses and trains. It has approximately 2,000 buses that operate over 127 routes traveling along 1,516 miles (2,440 km). Buses provide about 560,000 passenger trips a day and serve more than 10,000 posted bus stops. The Chicago Transit Authority's 1,560 train cars operate over eight routes and 224 miles (360 km) of track. Its trains provide about 400,000 customer trips each weekday and serve 146 stations in Chicago and seven suburbs.[6]
Currently, the CTA provides regular service within Chicago and the neighboring suburbs ofForest Park,Evanston,Skokie,Oak Park,Summit,Cicero,Berwyn,North Riverside,Rosemont,Evergreen Park,Oak Lawn,Park Ridge,Harwood Heights,Norridge,Lincolnwood, andWilmette.
The CTA accepts payment with a Ventra Card, which can be purchased with a single-ride, 24-hour unlimited ride ($5), 3 day unlimited ride ($15), 7 day unlimited ride ($20), 30 day unlimited ride ($75), a Ventra disposable ticket, contactless credit or debit card, and certain smartphones. Unlimited ride Ventra cards/tickets are only valid for one passenger. CTA buses also accept cash. Up to three children under 7 can ride free with a fare-paying rider.
The CTA has many free and discounted fare options, for elementary, middle, and high school students, college and university students, people with disabilities, senior citizens, and military service members.
Only buses allow riders to pay directly with cash at a farebox. Exact fare is required, since no change is given. Since January 7, 2018, the bus full fare is $2.50, the senior/disabled fare is $1.25, and the student fare is $.75. No cash transfers are available. Previously, some rail station turnstiles accepted cash, but this feature has been removed in an effort to speed up boarding. Cash at rail stations is only accepted at Ventra Vending Machines to purchase Ventra cards and tickets.
The CTA no longer sells Transit Cards. All remaining Transit Cards must have been used by July 1, 2014.[7] In its place CTA has adopted the Ventra Card system. The Ventra Card can be purchased online, Ventra Vending Machines at CTA rail stations, and at authorized retailers like Walgreens, CVS Pharmacies, and check cashing locations.
Ventra is an electronic fare payment system for the Chicago Transit Authority andPace that replaced theChicago Card and the Transit Card automated fare collection system. Ventra (purportedly Latin for "windy," though the actual Latin word isventosa)[8] launched in August 2013, with a full system transition slated for July 1, 2014.[9][10] The Ventra payment system includes several options of payment, including acontactless smart card powered byRFID, a single day or use ticket powered byRFID, any personal bank-issued credit card or debit card that has anRFID chip, and a compatiblemobile phone. This includes Google Pay, Apple Pay, and Samsung Pay.[11] Ventra is operated byCubic Transportation Systems.[12]
Riders using Ventra pay $2.25 for bus, $2.50 for rail (except Blue Line O'Hare station, $5). Disabled & seniors who are 65 or older pay $1.10 for bus, $1.25 for rail. Elementary and high school students 7–20 years old: Valid 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on school days pay $.75 during school hours and pay $1.10 during weekends and holidays. The two transfers, within two hours, from the start of a trip is free. After that, it is considered a new trip and the user is charged another fare.
Ventra readers on buses and rail station turnstiles can accept contactless payments directly from mobile devices. Riders can pay a PAYG fare ($2.50) by touching mobile phones withApple Pay,Google Pay andSamsung Pay—or any contactless bankcard with the contactless wave symbol.[13]
As mandated by theAmericans with Disabilities Act of 1990 for all transit operators in the U.S., all CTA buses areaccessible, with a ramp on every bus available for use upon request by anyone who has trouble with steps, even temporarily. The majority of train stations CTA operates have elevators or ramps to provide access for customers with disabilities. All trains are accessible, either through fully level boarding or a ramp to bridge the 3-4in height gap.
| Year | Manufacturer & Model | Length | Photo | Engine Type | Numbers | Assigned Garages | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–2009 | New Flyer D40LF | 40 ft (12 m) |  | Diesel | 1000–2029 (1,030 buses) | 74th, 77th, 103rd, Chicago, Forest Glen, Kedzie, North Park | Many units are currently being retired. |
| 2008–2009 | New Flyer DE60LF | 60 ft (18 m) | Diesel-Electric Hybrid | 4000–4207 (208 buses) | 103rd, Kedzie, North Park | ||
| 2012–2013 | New Flyer DE60LFR |  | 4300–4332 (33 buses) | 103rd, North Park | |||
| New Flyer D60LFR |  | Diesel | 4333–4399 (67 buses) | North Park | |||
| 2014 | New Flyer XE40 | 40 ft (12 m) | Electric | 700–701 (2 buses) | 77th |
| |
| 2014–2019 | NovaBus LFS |  | Diesel | 7900–8349 (450 buses) | 74th, 77th, 103rd, Chicago, Forest Glen, Kedzie | ||
| 2019–2022 | Proterra Catalyst BE40/ZX5 | .jpg) | Electric | 600–624 (25 buses) | 74th, Chicago | ||
| 2022–2025 | NovaBus LFS |  | Diesel | 8350–8949 (600 buses) | 74th, 77th, 103rd, Chicago, Forest Glen, Kedzie, North Park |
|
Notes:
| Series | Year | Manufacturer | Assigned Lines |  | Quantity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2600-series | 1981–1987 | Budd Company rebuilt byAlstom, 1999–2002[14][15] | Blue, Brown, Orange | Yes | 443 |
| 3200-series | 1992–1994 | Morrison-Knudsen | Blue, Brown | 255 | |
| 5000-series | 2009–2015 | Bombardier Transportation | Green, Pink, Purple, Red, Yellow | 712 | |
| 7000-series | 2019–TBD | CRRC Sifang America | Blue | 400 (base order) 846 (all options included) | |
| 9000-series | TBD | TBD | TBD | 300 (base order) 246 (all options included) |
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In 1953, the CTA placed an order forFlxible buses after the latter's absorption of theFageolTwin Coach Company.
Until 1973, CTA's fleet included a large number ofelectric trolley buses – or "trolley coaches", as they were commonly known at the time.[16] In the 1950s, the fleet of around 700 trolley coaches was the largest such fleet in the U.S., and represented about one-quarter of CTA's total number of surface-transit vehicles (motor bus, trolley bus and, until 1958,streetcar). Possibly influenced by the1967 Chicago blizzard, during which CTA trolley buses were unable to maneuver around abandoned automobiles without dewiring, CTA decided to discontinue trolley bus service. Trolley bus service was phased out in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and trolley buses ran for the last time on March 25, 1973.[16][17]
CTA buses were known as the "green limousine" or the "big green" — buses were one or more shades of green from the CTA's establishment until the end of the 1980s. With the delivery of theTMCRTS buses in 1991, a more patriotic color scheme was adopted, and the green scheme was fully phased out by 1996. A notable color scheme was the "Bicentennial" of about 1974 to 1976.[18]
CTA bought very few buses between the mid-1970s and the end of the 1980s. During this time, purchases were only made in 1979 (20MAN/AM GeneralSG 220articulated buses), 1982-83 (200FlyerD901 buses and 125 additional MAN articulateds), and 1985 (362 MAN Americana standard-length buses). Another aspect of this period was that with the exception of the 1979 and 1983 MAN orders, none of those buses had air-conditioning, a budget saving move by the CTA. The 1972-76 fleet ofGM "New Look" buses, 1870 total, which were originally air-conditioned (although there were problems with the air-conditioning systems, eventually being disabled and sliding windows installed in the buses), composed the majority of vehicles in service into the early 1990s.
In 1995, the CTA placed an experimental order of their first 65 low floor transit buses fromNew Flyer IndustriesD40LF. Also, that same year, the CTA received its last order of high floor buses from Flxible Corporation, shortly before the manufacturer folded. In 1998, the CTA placed an order for 484 new low floor transit buses fromCanadian bus-building firmNova Bus. This executed move billed the CTA as Nova's American launch customer for the latter's signature product, the LFS series. This was also done to meet the "Buy American" requirements for buses in the United States transit bus market, sinceGeneral Motors ceased bus production and Flxible went out of business. Lastly, these buses replaced the ones that were built in 1983 and 1985 as these buses both lack air conditioning, aging, and not ADA compliant.
Today CTA's current fleet of buses is mostly dominated by New Flyer'sD40LF, numbered 1000–2029, which replaced buses that were built in 1991 and 1995. In 2014, CTA ordered 400 new buses fromNova. The number increased to 425 after it exercised an option. The buses are numbered 7900–8324. The CTA exercised another option for an additional twenty-five buses, numbered 8325–8349, from Nova Bus. Nova Bus delivered an additional 600 new buses (numbered 8350–8949) which replaced the remainder of the older Nova buses that were delivered between 2000 and 2002, in addition to starting the retirement of New FlyerD40LF buses delivered between 2006 and 2009.[citation needed]
The rolling stock of the CTA includes the last rail cars built by theBudd Company and rail cars built byMorrison-Knudsen,Bombardier, andCRRC.[19] Manufacturers of former rolling stock includeBoeing-Vertol,Pullman Car Company,St. Louis Car Company, andCincinnati Car Company.[20][21][22][23]
The5000-series was built by Bombardier from 2009 to 2015. Ten (10) prototypes of the 5000-series were received in 2009, and entered passenger testing in April 2010, with 396 more ordered once tests were completed.[24] On July 20, 2011, CTA announced the order of 300 more rail cars, bringing the total ordered to 706 at a cost of aboutUS$1 billion.[25]
In 2014, the CTA received their first electric buses from New Flyer, making the CTA the first major U.S. transit agency to use the new wave of electric buses as part of a regular service.[26]
After theSeptember 11 attacks, CTA announced its "If you See Something, Say Something" campaign.[27] CTA has also installed a security camera network,[28] and a system to send real time images from cameras in buses directly to emergency responders.[29]
CTA has also been actively prosecuting vandals, announcing on several occasions that felony convictions were obtained against persons who spray painted authority vehicles.[30]
The CTA installed GPS Bus Tracker systems on all buses starting with the 20 (Madison St) bus in 2006,[31] before expanding it to other routes in 2008.[32] The original claim justifying the addition of this technology was that it would reduce the issue ofbunching buses. The system also allows riders to be able to determine the location of buses online.
A report prepared by the CTA claims that there was a decrease in bus bunching from 3.9% to 2.3% from 2007 to 2009, but the report neither demonstrated a direct connection between Bus Tracker and this reduction in bunching, nor did it show whether this was a temporary or permanent phenomenon.[33]
CTA has also made its Bus Tracker and other developer tools available,[34] and is making Bus Tracker arrival data available throughtext messaging.[35] One of the first applications of the Bus Tracker Developer Tools involved the installation of monitors showing the information in several businesses in Chicago'sWicker Park neighborhood.[36] Using the developer API published by CTA, some augmented CTA bus tracking applications have been developed for mobile phones,[37] and CTA has its own Transit App, CTA also has a bus tracker (Beta starting January 2011), and it can also be accessed through a computer, smart phone, text messaging, or any smart device.[38]
During the months of November and December, the CTA decorates several several "L" rail cars in seasonal decorations and lights, which run alongside an open-air flatcar transformed intoSanta's sleigh as theCTA Holiday Train.
The CTA maintains a small fleet of former rolling stock and buses for use during special events and for private charters.[39] These include4000-series rail cars,6000-series rail cars,2400-series rail cars, and buses built byGMC andFlxible.[40]
Since 2017, the CTA has run a specially-wrapped train duringPride Month, making it the first transit agency in the United States to do so.[41]
The CTA is home to a collection of art – including mosaics, sculptures and paintings. More than 50 pieces of art are exhibited at over 40 CTA stations.[42]
According to the CTA, the original pieces of artwork contribute to each station's identity and enhance travel for customers.[citation needed] Many of the pieces are a result of the Arts in Transit Program, which is funded by the Federal Transit Administration and coordinated locally through the City of Chicago's Office of Tourism and Culture. A number of other pieces were created through the CTA's Adopt-A-Station program and through partnerships with organizations such as theChicago Public Art Group.[43]
In 2004, the CTA and the City of Chicago Public Art Program installed nine permanent works of art at eight renovated rail stations on what is now known as the Pink Line. The CTA has since created an ongoing program to showcase permanent works of art in conjunction with the City of Chicago Public Art Program. The Arts in Transit Program is funded by the Federal Transit Administration, and created opportunities to develop original artwork for station reconstruction projects along the CTA Red and Brown Lines. Artists were selected for each of the stations included in the Brown Line Capacity Expansion Project and select renovated Red Line stations.
With the completion of the Brown Line Capacity Expansion Project in December 2009, original artwork was installed in each of the 18 renovated stations along the CTA's Brown Line. By combining the visibility and accessibility of the city's mass transit system with the creativity of Chicago's art resources, this program resulted in a successful public display of professional works of art designed with input from nearby communities. This program provided high-profile locations for public art and server as a gateway to communities served by the CTA stations. Media under consideration included, but were not limited to, mosaics, art glass, ornamental fencing, mixed-media artwork, and freestanding sculpture and furniture.
The CTA and the City of Chicago Public Art Program, administered by the Office of Tourism and Culture, encouraged and facilitated collaborations between artists, government agencies, the community and other partners. The City of Chicago Public Art Program accepted qualifications from local and national professional artists or artist teams capable of creating permanent public works of art for the CTA Arts in Transit Program for the renovated stations.[citation needed]
In 2023, as part of an exhibition titled "Forecast Form: Art during the Caribbean Diaspora, 1990s-Today" by theMuseum of Contemporary Art Chicago, the CTA temporarily installed 20 copies ofFelix Gonzalez-Torres'Untitled (1995) at "L" stops across Chicago.[44]
The Chicago Transit Authority produced a monthly television show,Connections, from May 2003 until March 2011. The show, hosted by Braydens Connections, was broadcast on City of ChicagoPublic-access televisioncable TV channels 23 & 49, as well as onComcast's CN100 in theChicago metropolitan area, including areas ofMichigan andIndiana.
Connections featured news and information about the CTA and services it provides. Individual segments from Connections are available on CTA'sYouTube channel.[45]
In March 2025, acting CTA PresidentNora Leerhsen announced the launch of a monthly newsletter, titled The CTA Connection.[46] Delivered via email, the newsletter includes updates on the Agency's projects and highlights photos taken by riders of CTA stations and equipment.[47]
Accompanying The CTA Connection newsletter, the CTA launched Moving Experience: Stories of the CTA as the agency's official podcast.[46] Hosted by acting CTA President Nora Leerhsen, Moving Experiences features CTA employees and public transit leaders.[48]
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