A Long-Awaited Bus Line Falls Short of Expectations in Chicago

Ed Komenda reports: "The Chicago Transit Authority Board on Wednesday [May 11] voted to revive both the No. 11 bus on Lincoln Avenue, set to start on June 20, and the No. 31 bus, slated to begin in September."

Local groups who advocated for the 31st Street bus route are concerned, however, that the proposal is designed to fail. The line will enter a six-month pilot program, with buses running every 30 minutes from 10 am to 7 pm between Ashland and King Drive. "The CTA plans to monitor ridership. If enough people ride the buses, the transportation authority will restore the routes permanently. The target is 830 rides per day," according to Komenda.

Among the concerns of the local groups that negotiated the return of the route to the neighborhood—that the pilot won't be tracking ridership during the summer, when users are traveling in higher numbers to the beach. According to Komenda, local activists have been fighting for the No. 31 line ever since it was axed in 1997 due to low ridership.