CTA, VIA Metropolitan Transit implement frequency changes on bus routes to improve services

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) and VIA Metropolitan Transit are implementing frequency changes on bus routes to improve services. 

CTA 

CTA is launching the frequent network, which will allow CTA buses to arrive every 10 minutes or sooner on 20 key bus routes throughout the CTA service area between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. on weekdays and 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on weekends beginning March 23.   

“A reliable and equitable public transit system is key to building strong communities, and we are committed to increasing Chicagoans' access to the CTA, so they can get to wherever they need to go," said Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. "We are thrilled to announce the launch of the frequent network and fulfill the promise of increasing CTA bus service, especially for those who need it most. This is an investment in our residents' opportunities to thrive and experience everything our great city has to offer."  

“This improvement in frequency is a transformative investment in our bus service and brings 10-minute or better service within a short walk of 2.3 million residents in our area all day, every day,” said CTA Acting President Nora Leerhsen. “This is just one example of how strong transit funding availability allows us to provide the level of service our customers want to see.”

CTA says that throughout 2025, 20 bus routes will have service added on weekdays and weekends to ensure 10-minute or better scheduled service daily. The agency notes riders will see the most service improvements midday, evenings and weekends. According to the agency, routes that are part of the frequent network will see the highest levels of scheduled service since 2010 when the CTA was forced to implement service reductions due to funding constraints.  

CTA notes that with the initial set of eight routes going live March 23, 35 percent of the CTA service area will be within a half mile of a frequent route. The agency says that once the frequent network is fully implemented, by the end of 2025, 70 percent of the CTA service area will be within a half mile of a frequent bus route. 

The agency says the frequent network builds on its Bus Vision Framing Report, which analyzed CTA bus service and identified much needed service improvements on weekends, evenings and midday to ensure CTA’s buses better serve riders, especially low-income and minority riders. According to CTA, the next phase of the Bus Vision Project will provide people in the service area an opportunity to share their input on how CTA bus service can better serve their communities and the attributes of CTA bus service that are most important to them, such as frequency, hours of operation, routing and access to service, among other features.   

CTA notes the eight initial bus routes were picked to provide high coverage and benefit the system. The first bus routes as part of the network are:  

• J14 Jeffery Jump   
• #34 South Michigan   
• #47 47th St. 
• #54 Cicero  
• #60 Blue Island/26th   
• #63 63rd St.  
• #79 79th St.  
• #95 95th St.  

CTA says the J14, #34, #47, #60 and #95 will see a 25 percent or more increase in service, and riders will see significant service increases on several of the routes, with more full-length trips being provided and fewer buses turning back before reaching the terminal.    

In 2024, the CTA returned its bus network to pre-pandemic service levels with some strategic adjustments at the route level to better meet shifting ridership patterns. CTA notes the introduction of the frequent network is a key investment CTA is making to improve service to better meet riders’ needs and evolving mobility patterns. CTA plans to add service on the remaining 12 routes throughout 2025, as well as introduce the frequent network for rail. The full list of routes is available on CTA’s website. 

VIA Metropolitan Transit 

VIA Metropolitan Transit’s Board of Trustees approved a plan on March 4 to increase frequency on five key routes starting April 14, reducing wait times and providing faster connections for riders on both weekday and weekend trips. 

The agency says the frequency improvements are expected to contribute further to the continued ridership growth it has experienced annually since 2022. According to VIA Metropolitan Transit, ridership is up by more than 27 percent since 2021 and reached nearly 31 million trips in calendar year 2024 — the third consecutive year in which overall ridership for the agency has climbed past 2021 ridership levels, signaling steady growth for 2025. 

“Transit plays a critical role in our community, and we know that people are increasingly looking to VIA to get them to work and school, to their medical appointments and the grocery store and all the other places that are important in their daily lives,” said VIA Metropolitan Transit President and CEO Jon Gary Herrera. “I am optimistic we will continue to see increases in ridership, as we offer more service to the community through innovation and frequency.” 

The following routes will see frequency improvements starting April 14: 

• 20 New Braunfels – Weekend frequency modified from 20 minutes to 15 minutes. 
• 26 Martin Luther King – Weekend frequency modified from 40 minutes to 30 minutes. 
• 44 Pleasanton – Weekday frequency modified from 40 minutes to 30 minutes. 
• 68 Guadalupe – Weekday frequency modified from 20 minutes to 15 minutes. 
• 102 Primo Military – Weekday frequency modified from 15 minutes to 12 minutes. 

The agency plans to introduce additional frequency enhancements in August to continue strengthening the service. 

Year over year, VIA Metropolitan Transit’s fixed route ridership increased by nearly two million trips between 2023 and 2024. Ridership on VIA Link, a ride-share service similar to Uber or Lyft, and ridership on VIAtrans paratransit service has also grown annually since 2021. The agency says that even with the dip in ridership in 2021, it has provided 136.3 million trips between 2020 and 2024. 

As part of the voter-approved Keep SA Moving plan, VIA Metropolitan Transit is making investments in innovative transit projects, such as VIA Rapid, VIA Link and the Better Bus plan. VIA Rapid will be San Antonio’s first advanced rapid transit system. The VIA Rapid Green Line, running north-south along San Pedro Avenue, is set to launch in late 2027. The VIA Rapid Silver Line, which would run east-west from the Frost Bank Center to North General McMullen on the west side, is projected to be delivered in 2029.  

VIA Metropolitan Transit’s Better Bus Plan aims to deliver faster, more direct service on traditional bus routes and expand VIA Link service and decrease wait times across the network to 30 minutes or less.