The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) provided 6.33 million rides during the first week of October — the highest system ridership week since the start of the pandemic.

The week included the two highest days of ridership on record since the pandemic, including Oct. 3 and Oct. 4, which did 1,053,000 and 1,056,000 rides, respectively. Already high ridership levels were boosted during the week by great weather, out-of-town marathon runners and their friends and families, and local residents making preparations for the big race, according to CTA officials.

Marathon Boost

The CTA provided roughly 655,700 rides the Sunday of the 2023 Chicago Marathon, crossing the finish line for the highest Sunday ridership since 2020. The CTA saw increased ridership numbers for 2023 compared to 2022 with a 22% increase in systemwide bus ridership and 15% on rail for the day. The marathon itself was estimated to increase rail ridership by 174,000 rides compared to the prior Sunday.

“The increase in marathon ridership over last year is the result of the work we have been doing to recover post-pandemic,” said CTA President Dorval R. Carter Jr. “These ridership numbers are made possible by our aggressive hiring and retention efforts over the past year.”

Staying Steady

Ridership has continued to stay strong even after the marathon. CTA has recorded another six million ride days since the run, bringing the season total to 21 million ride days.

Last month, CTA provided almost 26 million rides, the highest ridership month since the pandemic. And so far, this year, CTA daily ridership has topped more than one million rides.