CTA celebrates new hiring milestones for its rail and bus operators

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) celebrated two major milestones with the training and qualifying of more than 200 new rail operators and the hiring of more than 1,000 new bus operators in 2024, of which more than 850 have entered service. These hiring goals were a main focus point for the agency in its effort to reach pre-pandemic service levels across the bus and rail systems before the end of the year. 

This milestone comes on the heels of the CTA announcing its winter bus schedule, which goes into effect Dec. 22, and fully restores scheduled bus services to pre-pandemic levels. 

“We have reached and surpassed our goal of qualifying 200 new rail operators this year—an achievement that was vital to re-establishing the level of rail service our riders expect,” said CTA President Dorval R. Carter, Jr. “Meanwhile, we’ve also ensured our bus network can fully return to pre-pandemic levels. We owe much gratitude for the dedication and teamwork of our new operators, veteran instructors and temporary retired instructors, who worked tirelessly to bring our transit system back from an unprecedented pandemic and the darkest times many of us have seen in our lifetimes.” 

The CTA hosted an employee celebratory event at the CTA University, bringing together newly trained operators, community members and instructors. Carter acknowledged the operators’ role in boosting service, while congratulating and thanking bus and rail instructors, including retirees, who returned to work to help the agency meet the demands for boosting training output. First year operators also received certificates for their successful transition. 

Rail service goals:  

• At the outset of this year,  Carter set a goal to double CTA’s intake of new rail operator trainees, increasing classes from the previous year and accommodating at least 20 participants per training cohort.  
• This fall, CTA says it successfully restored pre-pandemic service levels with a 20 percent boost in scheduled weekly roundtrips across all eight rail lines. When compared to the spring 2024 schedule, the system now provides over 1,200 additional weekly rail trips—enhancing service frequency and delivering shorter wait times and more convenient travel throughout the city. 

Bus service goals:  

• The CTA’s success in hiring more than 1,000 new bus operators this year – of which 850 have been qualified and entered service. With these new operators in place, the CTA says its bus system will continue to deliver top-tier service, which currently exceeds 99 percent of scheduled service delivery. 
• Looking ahead to 2025, the CTA says it’s poised to further improve its rider experience by introducing more frequent bus and rail service, while also exploring innovative tools that improve the customer experience. This includes piloting a service disruption management feature on CTA Bus Tracker to eliminate ghost buses, to the testing of new technologies that expand real-time arrival and alert signage to bus stops.  

Building upon these achievements, the agency is wanting to continue to invest in training and development, recruit additional talent and refine service schedules to align with evolving ridership patterns.