CTA Makes Waiting for a Bus More Convenient by Adding Bus Tracker Displays
Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Transit Authority president Dorval R. Carter, Jr. announced good news for customers who transfer from trains to buses: the agency has installed its first-ever Bus Tracker arrival-time displays at 51 CTA stations, allowing customers to quickly and easily see when their bus is coming.
“The expansion of CTA Bus Tracker combined with other recent technology investments we’ve made such as 4G wireless coverage in subways is helping cement Chicago’s status as a premier hub for transportation and innovation,” said Mayor Emanuel. “We are providing Chicagoans with the tools they need to stay connected and do what they need to do while getting to where they need to be.”
The CTA placed 66 Bus Trackers displays at 51 stations, some of which have the highest numbers of customers who transfer between trains and buses, including 95th/Dan Ryan and Belmont on the Red Line; Jefferson Park and Kedzie-Homan on the Blue Line; Kedzie on the Orange Line; and Kimball on the Brown Line.
Previously, Bus Tracker signs were only found at bus shelters. On an average weekday approximately 150,000 riders make rail to bus transfers. Each sign provides the estimated arrival time for routes serving that particular bus stop within an approximately 30-minute timeframe.
“CTA customers have told us that they love Bus and Train Tracker for their convenience and ease, and we’re pleased to continue to invest and expand Bus Tracker to making commuting even easier for our customers who connect between trains and buses,” said CTA president Dorval Carter Jr. “The addition of these signs allows customers to know when their bus is coming while more comfortably waiting in the sheltered space of CTA rail station.”
The $1.3 million project is latest in many ways CTA has improved service for customers by investing in technology in recent years under Mayor Rahm Emanuel, including:
- Expanding the total number of Bus Tracker LED displays citywide (including at rail stations) to more than 400
- Increasing the number of Train Tracker displays at every rail station to more than 880
- Recently completed the installation of 4G wireless service in its 22 miles of Red and Blue Line subway tunnels
- Launching the Ventra app last fall, which provides customers the ability to purchase and manage fares on CTA, Metra and Pace.
- Expanding CTA’s security camera network to more than 23,000
“This project is a great example of CTA, Pace and the RTA working together to provide a service to benefit riders,” says Regional Transportation Authority executive director Leanne Redden. “Where possible, the signs display both CTA and Pace next bus arrival information, and were funded by the RTA allocation of Innovation, Coordination, and Enhancement (ICE) grants.”
Bus Tracker information is also available to customers via text and email alerts. Customers can sign up to receive alerts online at transitchicago.com or access Bus and Train Tracker by downloading the free Ventra app, which provides real-time transit tracker information.
