CTA to Begin Piloting New #31 31st Bus Service Next Week

Six-month pilot will provide service on 31stbetween Ashland/Orange Line and 33^rd/King Drive

Customers are reminded that beginning Tuesday, September 6, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) will begin operating the new #31 31^st bus route as part of a six-month pilot to improve east-west transit connections along the eastern portion of the 31^st Street corridor.

The pilot is the latest in a series of recent bus service improvements made by CTA President Dorval R. Carter Jr. to improve CTA bus service, including the recent launch of the #11 Lincoln bus pilot, the expansion of bus service on the South Side and restoration of express service on the Ashland and Western routes last December. 

Beginning at 10:04 a.m. next Tuesday, #31 buses will operate every 30 minutes between the Ashland Orange Line station and the Lake Meadows Shopping Center located at 33^rd Place and King Drive. The new route will operate on weekdays until approximately 7 p.m. and offer the surrounding community improved transit connections, with service stops planned at the Sox-35^th Red Line and 35^th-Bronnzeville-IIT Green Line stations.

The purpose of the pilot is to determine ridership demand for service along the eastern corridor of 31^st Street. During the pilot, CTA will collect ridership data and feedback solicited from riders and the community to analyze the effectiveness of the service. At the conclusion of the pilot, CTA will determine whether to conclude the pilot, extend it or make the service permanent.

CTA has worked closely with the community in developing the pilot, including determining the locations of the 50 bus stops along the route. The hours of service are intended to serve the kind of trips the community desired, such as service to schools, multiple shopping centers and entertainment, including U.S. Cellular Field.

While similar to the route eliminated nearly 20 years ago, the new #31 pilot bus route has several service improvements that will positively impact the community including increased frequency of service by 50 percent and key transit connections with the Orange, Red and Green lines, several north-south bus routes and the adjacent #35 31^st/35^th route. The 31st Street pilot follows the expansion of CTA service on the #35 31st/35th route in 2013, when CTA extended the route and added weekend beach service to the 31st Street beach during the summer months.

For more information, please visit: transitchicago.com/31pilot/

# # #