Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) President Dorval R. Carter Jr. announced a new action plan that will guide the CTA’s ongoing efforts to address the agency’s challenges brought on by the pandemic.
“Meeting the Moment: Transforming CTA’s Post-Pandemic Future” Action Plan is a multifaceted investment plan that focuses on responding to customers’ concerns and strengthening the foundations of the rider experience — reliable service, safe rides, clean facilities, modern amenities, customer engagement tools, and a CTA workforce.
“I am confident this action plan is exactly what CTA needs to address our customers’ immediate concerns while proactively meeting our transit future.” said Carter, who announced the plan during his speech at the City Club of Chicago. “At the core of this action plan are our customers; we are investing in and appreciating our current customers, while taking meaningful steps toward welcoming more customers back.”
The combination of unplanned absences due to illness (COVID infections, caring for family members, quarantining) as well as the “Great Resignation,” has left CTA with not enough manpower to reliably deliver our scheduled service. CTA is also impacted by socio-economic conditions of the region, including recent, prominent instances of crime and behavior occurring on CTA.
“Meeting the Moment” aims to address these many current challenges in the near-term, while also mapping a plan for long-term stability and transit transformation in the future.
The customer-focused action plan is grounded in five key pillars:
Deliver reliable and consistent service.
Enhance safety and security for riders.
Improve the customer experience at CTA facilities.
Upgrade digital tools to improve rider communication.
Invest in employees.
Within each pillar, the agency will invest in and launch multiple near-term strategic investments, initiatives, and tools designed to reinforce the CTA rider experience. CTA will announce new service initiatives, safety strategies, customer tools, facility and vehicle investments, and employee hiring and retention investments from this Action Plan in the coming weeks and months.
