In November 2019, people trying to get to work or take weekend outings in Chicagoland crammed themselves onto the “L,” public buses and commuter trains at least 39.6 million times.
This November, riders took just over half that many trips, data from the Regional Transportation Authority shows.
Though trains and buses are getting noticeably more crowded, the numbers serve as a reminder that many riders aren’t returning to their pre-pandemic habits. And with the number of riders still down, transit agencies in Chicago and across the country have been leaning on federal COVID-19 relief money to get by.
